New Discoveries
by D7
Summary: Romances between Ron and Hermione take a sharp turn when Hermione meets the man of her dreams....
1. Goodbyes and Hellos

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine! Please don't sue. They are the creation of J. K. Rowling.  
  
A man with flaming red hair that was neatly combed to one side and a very petite young woman walked arm in arm down the streets of London. The symphonic sky brought a mood of romance to their surroundings. The passionate couple voyaged back to Hermione's apartment.  
  
As the two reached the apartment's entrance, the sky seemed to be lightly sprinkled with beautiful stars. "I love the stars. They are so beautiful" said Hermione.  
  
"Nothing compared to your radiant beauty" replied Ron. She turned her attention to Ron and a warm, passionate smile play upon her lips. Ron unlinked his arm from hers and turned her to face him. He wrapped his masculine arms or what seemed to be to her, around her waist and pulled her close to him. He lightly brushed his lips against hers and pulled her hips against his. As the passion unfolded from her lips, he ran his hands along the sides of her petite waist. As she pulled away from him, she whispered in his ear, "I love you."  
  
Just as automatically, he replied, "I love you too."  
  
"Let's head upstairs shall we?"  
  
"That all depends on what we're going to do."  
  
"Well, you're just going to have to find out for yourself, now won't you?"  
  
"I could wait..." She cut him off, "It wouldn't be nearly as much fun if you didn't wait."  
  
She grinned at him and laughed maliciously, but tauntingly. He in return pouted at her and whined. "Oh c'mon, 'Mione"  
  
"Nope." She slowly turned away from him and began the trip up the flights of stairs leading to her apartment. He hurriedly followed her lead resting his hands upon her hips.  
  
When they arrived at her door, she pulled her key tantalizingly slow out of her bag and he attempted to snatch it from her. "Ah, ah, ah. Not so fast. We are going to do things my way. It's your last night in town for a week and I'm going to miss you terribly." He nodded in agreement and let his hand fall back to her hip.  
  
Hermione slowly turned the key and discreetly peaked in the room to reassure herself that it was going to be perfect. He tried to push the door open further but she pulled it back shut. She glared at him and he backed off.  
  
"Close your eyes."  
  
"'Mione" he whined.  
  
"Close your eyes!"  
  
"Fine, fine." Slowly he closed his pale blue eyes and she glanced back before leading him into the dimly lit room.  
  
"Don't open yet" she instructed him. He nodded in compliance and continued to keep his eyes closed. She released her grip from his hand and went into the kitchen for a brief moment.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"Just be patient, I'm right here. Okay, now you can open."  
  
Ron slowly opened his eyes and observed his surroundings. The small table was set for two people and a wine bottle stood open adjacent to the cork. The light from the two candles created shadows that danced along the eggshell walls. In the corner, a small stereo emitted beautiful melodic music.  
  
"Oh 'Mione" he said in delight.  
  
"You like?"  
  
"No, I not only like, I love!" He ran over to her and gave her a warm peck on the lips.  
  
Hermione led him over to the table and both took their seats. Hermione was dressed in a tight leather dress and Ron was clothed with a soft, navy blue blazer and khaki pants. As the music played in the background, they dined on a tender cut of steak and sautéed vegetables accompanied by a fine red wine. The shadows from the flame danced across Hermione's pale, fair skin as Ron's eyes admired her every aspect. Ron and Hermione never took their eyes off each other for more than a second to guide the food into their mouths. Eye contact remained locked until they had finished their meal.  
  
"Ready for desert?"  
  
"Desert? Yummy....will you feed it to me?"  
  
"You read my mind" she said as she stood up to retrieve the delicate cheesecake and set it down on the table as she pulled the chair closer to his.  
  
Slowly she dug the cutting knife through the creamy, textured cake and placed it on her plate. Gracefully, she cut a small portion of it onto her fork and brought it slowly to his mouth. The creamy desert filled his taste buds with pleasure as she slid the fork out of his mouth. He then cut a piece of cake to feed to her and he, not being as graceful as she was, missed her mouth.  
  
"Oh my, I'm sorry" he said through a light chuckle. He picked up his napkin from his lap and dabbed her cheesecake-covered chin with it.  
  
She pecked him lips on the lips and ran her hand up and down his thigh. He smiled at her and slowly stood up. Ron walked around to the other side of Hermione and slid his hands underneath her. As he lifted her from her chair, she wrapped her arms around his neck and ran one hand through his bright red hair, dimmed only for the lack of light.  
  
Slowly he carried her out of the kitchen and down the dark hallway that led to her room. The slow music still played in the distance of the kitchen as he laid her down on the bed and crawled on top of her. He lowered himself onto her and his lips met hers. The kiss became more passionate by the second and his tongue weaved its way inside of her mouth where her tongue massaged his ever so gently. He pressed his lips harder into hers and let his hands drift slowly down her curves.  
  
Hermione ran her hands down his chest and slid them up his shirt. They glided over his silky skin and she then slid them back out to begin unbuttoning his shirt. She unbuttoned them excruciatingly slow and he ceased kissing her to speed up the process.  
  
"No, my way...."  
  
She pulled him back for her lips to meet his and she continued to unbutton his shirt. He hurriedly slid his hands under her back and began to unzip the tight black leather dress that encased her body. She lacked a bra that night so he only needed to pull off her dress and her panties. By the time she had gotten through unbuttoning his shirt, he had already stripped her of her dress. She then moved her hands slowly down his torso to the fly of his pants.  
  
As she slowly undid his pants and pulled them off, he massaged her breasts and she let a long, low groan escape her mouth. He left trails of kisses from her mouth, across her jaw line, down her neck, and all the way down to her belly button at which point he slid his hands just under the elastic of her panties and pulled them effortlessly off her sleek, sweaty body.  
  
She had accomplished the task of stripping him of his clothes and he had as well. Her hands roamed freely over his sleek body drenched with perspiration while he slowly slid into her. She shut her eyes in a momentary second of pain and let out a slow moan as he rocked his hips against hers.  
  
As he reached his climax, he let out a long slow moan and collapsed onto her. Her breathing was about as unsteady as his and she could feel the blood rush through every component of her body. He pulled her over to him and she rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
Seconds passed to minutes before either of their breathing became regular again. When both did catch their breath, Hermione pecked him on the lips and feel into a deep sleep as well as Ron.  
  
The dark sky was broken by twilight, its beauty reigning over the silent, sleeping Earth. As it rose over the crest of a distant mountain, its radiant beams lit the room where Ron and Hermione were sleeping. Its warmth filled Hermione's body and beads of sweat formed on her silky skin. She slowly fluttered her eyes open to the sound of birds and brushed her lips lightly against Ron's.  
  
"Hun, it's time for you to get up now. You have to get your suitcase together and I'll drive you to the airport."  
  
He nodded with his eyes still shut and Hermione got out of bed and went into the bathroom. Moments later she arrived and dumped a glass of ice- cold water on his head.  
  
"Hey! What was that for?!" he asked with a tone of irritation.  
  
"You need to get up. As much as I'm going to miss you, you gotta get going, honey."  
  
She wrapped a bath towel around her body and threw him some clothes. He tossed them to the side and walked slowly over to Hermione. Ron slipped his hands under her robe and started to peel it off of her shoulders.  
  
"Do we have to get dressed?"  
  
"As much as I'd like to say no to that, we really do" she said while sliding her robe back up her shoulders. She stood on her tip toes and tilted her head to receive a kiss from Ron. Her hands found a way to snake around his neck and his arms wrapped around her delicate body.  
  
Hermione pulled away from him and turned to get dressed. She slid on a short summer dress which was spaghetti strapped and sky-blue in color. She accented it with a white sun-hat that was decorated with a matching sky- blue ribbon. Her three inch heels brought her to approximately Ron's nose.  
  
Ron, standing at a height of 6'1", admired his outfit selection in the mirror. He had thrown on a pair of black pants and a dark blue striped short-sleeved shirt. His hair was combed, as usual, to the left side.  
  
When Hermione emerged from the bathroom, her brown hair cascaded down the pale skin of her shoulders from underneath the hat.  
  
"You look beautiful, as always."  
  
"Why thank you! Has there ever been a time when I wasn't?"  
  
"Well, there was that time that you...."  
  
She briskly walked over to him and punched him lightly in the arm. "You're supposed to say never!"  
  
A playful smile danced across his face as he pecked her on the forehead.  
  
"Let's get going, hun."  
  
"I'll go get the keys."  
  
Ron picked up his small suitcase and he and Hermione walked out to their car. It was a small red Eclipse, but was in very good condition. The interior leather seats were burning with heat from the direct sun beating down upon them. Hermione slid behind the steering wheel of the car and Ron accompanied her in the passenger seat after tossing his suitcase in the trunk.  
  
"Why are you flying again? Why don't you just apparate?"  
  
"Because there is no room for an apparation portal. Don't you think it would be quite odd if all of a sudden I popped out into the middle of the street?"  
  
"I suppose..."  
  
When they finally arrived at the airport, Hermione parked the car in a visitor's spot. Both got out of the car and Hermione walked him to the appropriate terminal. As the flight attendant began calling off seat numbers to board the plane, the two said there good byes.  
  
"I'm going to miss you so much!" exclaimed Ron as he pulled her closer to him.  
  
"You stole the words right out of my mouth. I love you."  
  
"I love you too."  
  
With that, Ron pulled her to him to give her a deep and passionate kiss.  
  
"Rows thirty through forty!" said the attendant.  
  
"That's you! Give me a call as soon as you get there! Bye!" She pecked him on the lips one last time and he turned to head towards the plane. As she watched him disappear behind the turn in the hall, she turned herself to walk back out to her car.  
  
Hermione turned the key in the ignition and the car's engine roared with power. She headed home and stopped by a few stores to pick up so things she needed at home. Also on the way home, she stopped by the Weasley's house to say hi.  
  
As she pulled in the driveway, Ginny was out in the front yard helping her mother with gardening. When she saw Hermione, she jumped up and ran towards the car while her mother watched her daughter in a puzzled fashion.  
  
When Hermione's sleek legs slid out of the car door and her head popped out of the car, a warm, welcoming smile played across Mrs. Weasley's face and she walked briskly over to greet her.  
  
"Hermione!" yelled Ginny.  
  
"Welcome dear!" said Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"Hey!" said Hermione as she hugged the two. "How are you Mrs. Weasley?  
  
"Please dear, mom."  
  
"Ok, mom" she corrected.  
  
"Everything's going wonderful. Mr. Weasley is at work but he'll be delighted to see you! Would you like to stay for dinner?"  
  
"No, I'd really love to, but I can't. I have much too much to do for work. I just stopped to say hello."  
  
"Oh please, I insist."  
  
Hesitantly, she responded. "Alright, alright, I'll stay, but not too late."  
  
"Good. It's settled."  
  
"Gin, go set the table will you?"  
  
"But mom, I want to talk with Hermione!"  
  
Mrs. Weasley gave her a stern look that stated in itself "No, I'm not giving in, so do what I ask."  
  
"C'mon Gin, I'll help."  
  
She nodded and they walked side by side into the kitchen.  
  
"What have you been up to? How's Seamus?"  
  
"Things are really going great between us. I hope they continue along the path they are going...if you know what I mean..."  
  
"I know the feeling. Things are going great with Ron and me as well."  
  
"Think we'll be sisters-in-law someday?"  
  
"I sure hope so. I miss him so much!"  
  
"I do too. I find it annoying how he's always off dealing with those stupid dragons."  
  
"You have to admit that it's quite an interesting occupation though. I mean how many people get to work with dragons?"  
  
"Charlie and him do. I suppose it is unique, but he's always away."  
  
"He's coming home a week from today. I do hope he gets there alright."  
  
They finished setting the table in silence and moments later, Mr. Weasley pulled in.  
  
"Guess who's here?!" yelled Mrs. Weasley.  
  
Mr. Weasley stood dumbfounded.  
  
"Hermione!"  
  
He quickly glanced through the window of the kitchen and spotted her. He walked quickly into the house to greet her with Mrs. Weasley right behind him.  
  
"Well hello dear!" he said while greeting her with a hug.  
  
"Hi, Mr. Weasley."  
  
"Dad, please."  
  
"Ok, dad. How are you?"  
  
"I'm good and yourself?"  
  
"I've been better. I have so much work to finish when I get home tonight and I miss Ron terribly."  
  
Shortly after, the four of them sat down at the table and began to eat. Hermione started a conversation.  
  
"Where are Fred and George?"  
  
"You remember how they were always fooling around with gadgets and such right?" She nodded. "Well, they've started their own shop for things they've invented and such. It's actually doing quite well."  
  
"That's good to hear."  
  
"What have you been doing with yourself?"  
  
"Well, I went into the Ministry."  
  
"What department?"  
  
"Regulation of Law and Criminal Justice and on the side I do occasional research dealing with science."  
  
"Fascinating. I always knew you'd do well."  
  
At that, Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly so she tucked her head down towards her chest so it wasn't as visible.  
  
After they finished eating, Hermione thought it would be best if she went home.  
  
"I need to head back home. Thank you for dinner. It was nice to see you again!"  
  
"Alright then. Hope to see you soon!"  
  
With that, Hermione walked out to her car and drove back to her apartment. When she walked in, she set her purse down on the table and began sorting through the vast piles of papers on her desk.  
  
Hour passed by hour and when she had finally finished, it was four o'clock in the morning. As she stood up, the phone rang. Hermione ran over to answer it and, just as she had been expecting, it was Ron.  
  
"Hey baby! I miss you so much!"  
  
"I love you!"  
  
"I love you too!"  
  
"I just wanted to let you know that I got in alright."  
  
"Well that's good. Don't go dying on me anytime soon."  
  
"Don't worry, I won't."  
  
"I just got finished with all my paperwork that I had to fill out."  
  
"You go get some rest and you'll feel better in the morning."  
  
"Yeah, that is if I can get up in the morning" she said in a sarcastic tone.  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you too. Good night."  
  
"Good night."  
  
With that, Hermione put on a silk nightgown and brushed her teeth before crawling into bed. Her thoughts drifted to Ron and soon she slipped off into a peaceful slumber. 


	2. Wedding Plans

Disclaimer: Again, not my characters!  
  
The next morning, Hermione woke to the melodic noises of the ocean emitted by her alarm clock. It was something she found relaxing when she was stressed out. With all the work the Ministry was piling on top of her, she had really been stressing out. On top of that, she had been planning Ron's and her wedding and that was taking up a lot of her spare time as well.  
  
Hermione dragged herself wearily out of bed and her feet trudged along the wood floor until they met the ceramic of the bathroom. She looked up into the mirror to see not a reflection of Hermione, but of Medusa. Her eyes were encased in black circles from lack of sleep and appeared to be very heavy.  
  
Hermione rubbed her eyes viciously to see if that would help, but the attempt failed so she stripped herself of her clothes and heaved herself into the shower. The cold water trickled down her soft skin as she lathered the soap gently into her hair and onto her scalp. The fresh aroma intoxicated her lungs with fruitful smells.  
  
She ran her fingers through her hair as the water rinsed away the soap. Hermione then lathered shaving cream on both of her well-defined legs and dragged the razor over each carefully. When she was finished, she turned off the taps and stepped out onto the carpet that lined her ceramic-tiled bathroom. Slowly, she dried her body off with a towel, coral in color, and towel-dried her hair.  
  
Hermione then got dressed for work. She walked out into her bathroom and put on a summer dress as she always did. This one was not as bright however because the dress requirements at work stated so.  
  
When she finished getting dressed, she picked up her briefcase and purse and walked out to the nearest apparating portal. Hermione arrived at the Ministry seconds later and was greeted by all her colleagues with warm smiles.  
  
"Good morning" said her boss.  
  
"Good morning to you as well. How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine thanks. And you?"  
  
"I'm a little tired but other than that....I better be going. I have a lot of work left to do before the day is through."  
  
She nodded and Hermione sat down at the desk in her office. Her quill and bottle of ink sat adjacent to each other on the corner of her desk. As she unpacked her briefcase of files to be sorted through, she reached for her quill. After about an hour of sorting the papers, her eyes began to droop and she put the quill down on her desk.  
  
Moments later, she thought to herself, "A small nap couldn't hurt."  
  
So, she leaned her head back onto the back of her chair and let her eyes fall closed. After what seemed to be only minutes, she snapped her head up and looked at the clock. An entire hour had passed while she had slept!  
  
She frantically looked around the room to make sure no one had found her asleep and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She just had to call Ron.  
  
Off the top of her head, she dialed the number where Ron would be and the phone began to ring.  
  
"Hey! I miss you so much" she whined.  
  
"I know, I miss you more!"  
  
"Never, I miss you the most!"  
  
"I love you. How are things at work?"  
  
"Stressful. I'm covered up to my head in work here. I'm never going to finish it seems. The minutes just seem to drag by. You see what you're doing to me?"  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Yes you. You know I still love you."  
  
"I love you too. Well I must be going now. I loved hearing from you because I miss you and can't wait to get home."  
  
"I can't wait for you to get home either."  
  
"Love you, bye!"  
  
"Love you too!"  
  
With that, she hung up. Hermione began sorting through the cases again and she finally got to the last one a couple hours later. The clock read three o'clock as she glanced at it and packed her briefcase up.  
  
Hermione had finally finished and figured that she had best work on the wedding plans. She apparated herself back home and placed her briefcase on her untidy desk.  
  
Hermione slipped out of her sun dress and threw a pair of capris and a t- shirt on. She slid her delicate feet into a pair of yellow sandals and made her way into town of the Muggle world.  
  
First she visited the dress shop. As she walked in, the bells that hung on the door clanged and the saleswoman approached her.  
  
"How may I help you today?"  
  
"Well, I am having a wedding in two weeks and I would like to select a dress for the occasion."  
  
"You've come to the right place"  
  
You think?!? That's why you have wedding dresses here! Hermione smiled to hide her internal sarcasm and replied, "I believe I have. I'm looking for something that's not overly decorated or extravagant...."  
  
She was cut off by the saleswoman, "On a woman that is extravagant, only a quality of extravagance should be worn."  
  
"Well, thank you. I would prefer that it would be just simple. I was thinking..."  
  
Once again, she was cut off. "What about this??"  
  
The woman dragged her to a dress in the back that was one of the most magnificent dresses she had ever seen.  
  
"It would look amazing on you and your lucky fiancée would just die. You would look just fabulous."  
  
Hermione looked it over. It was a fitted dress and the top came across the chest and over only one shoulder. The bottom flowed freely and widely to the floor. The top was also covered in beautiful white beads. As her eyes examined it, the price tag caught the corner of her eye.  
  
"200,000 Galleons?!?!"  
  
"It is quite expensive..."  
  
Hermione cut her off. "Expensive? That's just ludicrous. Who's wearing the dress here, me or you?" she snapped.  
  
The woman looked taken aback and responded, "Well, you are."  
  
"Well, will you kindly let me describe what I am looking for and then maybe you can help me out. Maybe something a little more in my price ranges."  
  
"Alright dear. Don't have a hissy fit. I didn't mean to anger you."  
  
"I'm sorry too; I didn't mean to explode at you like that. Would you listen to what I have to say first?  
  
The lady nodded in compliance.  
  
"Well, I was looking for something simple; I don't want to be extremely long or puffy, something that flows nicely to the floor; for the top I would like some sort of netting and the sleeves that way as well."  
  
"I think we have the perfect one for you. It matches your description almost perfectly."  
  
The lady led her to the right-hand side of the shop. On a manikin to her left, was a dress that looked exactly like she had described.  
  
The top was cloth up until the breast-line where there was a transition to netting. The netting continued its way down the sleeves of both arms; an occasional bead thrown into the netting here and there. The bottom half was also white silk that flows freely to the floor yet did not look overly extravagant.  
  
"This is perfect. How much is it?"  
  
"3,000 Galleons"  
  
"That's more my price range. It's perfect. May I try it on?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
The woman went into the back to get her size and led Hermione back to the dressing rooms. After several minutes, Hermione emerged from the changing room and stopped in front of the mirror.  
  
"Perfect!"  
  
"It needs to be fitted a little around the waist, but it looks beautiful on you."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
The saleswoman retrieved her tape measure and began taking measurements to fit the dress properly to Hermione's curves.  
  
"I remember when I looked as youthful as you do now. Those are days long past gone."  
  
Hermione looked at the woman who stood before her and said nothing. When she was finished, Hermione got dressed once again and placed a down payment on the gown.  
  
"Thank you for all your help."  
  
"Your welcome. It should be ready this coming Tuesday for pickup."  
  
"Okay. Have a nice day!"  
  
Hermione turned and left the store. As she walked, she took the list of things she needed to accomplish out of her pocket and checked to see what she should do next.  
  
"Off to plan the reception" she said to herself.  
  
As she continued walking down the street, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned to find Ginny and Seamus smiling at her.  
  
"Hey guys!"  
  
"Hey! What are you doing out and about?"  
  
"Oh, I'm just planning Ron's and my wedding. I'm off to plan the reception."  
  
"What do you say to a double wedding?"  
  
"Hey, that's a great idea!"  
  
"I know, I know. I'm brilliant" retorted Ginny.  
  
"I just bought my dress."  
  
"Really? I bought mine a couple of weeks ago."  
  
"I was just off to plan the reception, want to join me?"  
  
"Of course! How are we supposed to have a double wedding if we don't have the reception at the same place doofus!"  
  
"Well...."  
  
"Come on, let's go. Where did you intend to have it?"  
  
"I was thinking at the little restaurant by the shore...."  
  
"Sounds great....I've never been there before, but I heard they were extremely good and the prices were reasonable."  
  
The three of them walked towards the shore and spotted the delicate restaurant just a mile down the sandy beach.  
  
They walked inside after they had reached their destination and asked the hostess to speak to the manager.  
  
"May I help you?"  
  
"Yes" the three of them said in unison.  
  
Ginny took charge of the conversation.  
  
"We are looking to see if there is a possibility of having our double wedding reception here...."  
  
"How many people are we looking at?"  
  
"About 200 people" replied Ginny.  
  
"That's going to be tight to accommodate but I think we can manage. A double wedding you say?"  
  
"Yes. Ginny and I have been the best of friends for a long time and thought it was appropriate" responded Hermione.  
  
"That certainly is something special. What date did you have in mind?"  
  
"Well, we were thinking about the Saturday after next."  
  
"Let me check the book....let's see....no reservations for that day yet so we'll be able to accommodate you and all your guests."  
  
"Thank you very much; pleasure doing business with you."  
  
"The pleasure was all mine" said the manager as he kissed the back of Hermione's hand.  
  
The three turned to walk out of the cozy confines of the restaurant and stepped out into the glorious sunshine.  
  
"This is so exciting!" exclaimed Ginny as Seamus wrapped his arms around her small waist.  
  
"I miss Ron so much you guys" said Hermione as she sighed.  
  
Ginny smiled at her. "He'll be back before you know it 'Mione. Think, you guys will be married in a week and a half!"  
  
"I know, and I can't wait for the honeymoon either" said Hermione with a wink. "Well, I better head home..."  
  
"Okay" said Ginny as she gave Hermione a warm hug. "Talk to you soon!"  
  
Hermione turned in the opposite direction of Ginny and Seamus who walked hand in hand and walked back to her apartment. As she looked off to her right, the elegant sun had just begun its descent behind a distant mountain. The sky was accented with varying colors of orange, pink, and purple.  
  
When Hermione opened the door to her apartment, she set her things down and sighed. She then walked into her bedroom to change when she heard a sudden knocking on the window. Low and behold it was an owl probably for Ron she figured.  
  
Hermione drew the curtains to one side and the owl fluttered onto her shoulder. Hermione carefully untied the note attached to its leg and opened it despite its indicated receiver, Ron.  
  
As the parchment slowly unrolled, the ink written on the paper became revealed. It read:  
  
Ron,  
  
Did you receive the shipment of potions? If the thought ever crossed your mind that this might be intercepted, have no fear. I have taken care of all of that already. Please owl me back when you receive this.  
  
Nameless  
  
Hermione's jaw dropped in shock and her whole body felt as if someone had just dropped a ton of bricks on it. She collapsed onto the nearest chair and kept the letter tightly grasped in her right hand. 


	3. The Fighting Night

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine! They are the doing of J. K. Rowling!  
  
"Potions?" thought Hermione out loud. "What potions?"  
  
The words of the letter kept repeating over and over in her head. Shortly after, the owl who had just delivered the note started hooting. Hermione snapped to attention and sent the owl on his way. She watched as the small bird disappeared into the dark horizon.  
  
Hermione then walked over to the phone located on the table near her apartment door and dialed Ron.  
  
"Hey honey."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Ron, is there something you're not telling me?"  
  
"No..." he said hesitantly.  
  
"Ron, I hate to say this, but I don't believe you."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"Ron, an owl just arrived for you. It said....it asked whether you had gotten the potions or not."  
  
"Oh! The potions..." said Ron through muffled laughs caused by his nervousness.  
  
"Yes, the potions. Care to explain?"  
  
"Well, you see...." he paused for a brief moment.  
  
"Go on..."  
  
"They are just potions to relieve some of my stress."  
  
"Are you sure? You're not lying to me are you? I hate liars."  
  
"Yes. I'm positive."  
  
"Positive you're lying to me or positive you're sure?"  
  
"Positive I'm sure."  
  
Hermione flipped his words over in her head trying to decide whether or not to believe him.  
  
"Okay, I'll believe you."  
  
"I would expect you to."  
  
"What, just because we are going to get married in a week and a half with Ginny and Seamus doesn't mean that I have to believe everything you say."  
  
"I'd believe anything you tell me."  
  
"You think I'm not capable of lying?"  
  
"Well, I didn't say that...."  
  
Hermione cut him off. "If I told you that I was married to someone else in the past and got divorced before we started dating, would you believe me?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"See! You wouldn't believe anything I told you!"  
  
"If we're going to be married, we need to be open with each other and we need to trust each other's word. Just trust me!"  
  
"Why should I? I've never known you to do anything illegal, but I don't doubt that you might, only because you're capable."  
  
"I love you is why you should believe me. I'd never do anything to hurt you or anything that wasn't legal."  
  
"I love you too, but you are perfectly capable of doing such a thing."  
  
"Well, I wouldn't."  
  
"Good to know. Though, I'm still going to have to think this one over."  
  
"Here we go again. Just trust me. I love you."  
  
"Well, I need to get going because I have a lot of planning to do with Ginny and Seamus tomorrow."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Ginny, you know, your sister?"  
  
"I know that, what possible planning do you have to do with them tomorrow?"  
  
"I told you, we're having a double wedding."  
  
"What? No you didn't!"  
  
"Sure I did; right at the beginning of this very conversation. You were probably too busy trying to hide your lies to listen!"  
  
"I'm not hiding anything! Jeez!" screamed Ron into the phone.  
  
"You're really serious...."  
  
"Of course I am."  
  
"Hun, I'm sorry."  
  
"We both just need to cool off. I didn't really have any intentions of having my wedding at the same time as my sister though. It's kind of disturbing."  
  
"She and I are good friends though and we thought it would be fun."  
  
"You never even considered how I would feel about it!"  
  
"I'm sorry! I didn't think it would be so big of a deal!"  
  
"Well, it is!"  
  
"Fine! If we can't work things out here, maybe we shouldn't be getting married!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Fine!" screamed Hermione into the phone before she slammed it down on the receiver. "God! What the hell have I gone and done now?!"  
  
Hermione walked briskly into her room and slammed the door behind her. As she approached her bed, she jumped onto it and buried her face in her feather-soft pillow. Tears began to well up in her eyes but did not run down her cheek because the pillow case absorbed them as they emerged.  
  
After several minutes of crying, Hermione sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. She then walked into her bathroom to wash her face. As she viewed her reflection in the small mirror, her eyes appeared red and swollen.  
  
Hermione washed her face to make her feel better and then walked back into her bedroom.  
  
"Maybe I'll walk over to the bar down the street."  
  
Hermione walked one block down the street to the local bar. The front sign was illuminated blue and read, "D3."  
  
As she opened the door, a cloud of smoked ambushed her lungs. For a brief few seconds, she coughed uncontrollably but it soon passed. In the back corner sat a handsome young man with his head bowed down.  
  
Hermione made her way over to the bar and took a seat next to a motorcyclist. Moments later, the bartender asked her, "May I get you something?"  
  
"Yes please. I'll have a double martini, straight up."  
  
"Coming right up."  
  
The bartender walked toward the right hand side of the bar and mixed her drink while she waited patiently.  
  
"Here you go miss."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
He nodded and moved on to serve his next customer. Hermione glanced around the room to observe her surroundings. The young man who sat in the back corner when she stepped into the threshold still occupied the same seat and position.  
  
The biker next to her noticed her looking around.  
  
"Hey there, little lady."  
  
"Um, hi." she said hesitantly.  
  
"There's no need to be afraid. Relax" he said while smiling at her. His smile was accented with two gold-filled teeth. As she observed this, she became disgusted and began to walk away.  
  
"Where do you think you're going? May I buy you a drink?"  
  
"No thank you. I can handle that myself."  
  
"Come back here. How's about we go somewhere quiet?"  
  
"No is no!"  
  
"Come on. I won't hurt 'yer." The man stood up and steadily approached her as she backed away. Hermione continued backing away and he suddenly grabbed her arm.  
  
"'Yer not going anywhere."  
  
Hermione desperately tried to pull her arm out of his tight grasp, but her attempts were useless. The young man in the back of the bar heard the commotion and lifted his head up. He recognized who it was and immediately stood up.  
  
"Get off of me!"  
  
"I told 'yer, 'yer not going anywhere!"  
  
Hermione made one more attempt to pull her arm out of his grasp and pulled away. As she took her next step, she felt a very protective body break her fall. She could feel his foot underneath hers and his arms wrapped around her waist.  
  
"Let her go" said the man with a forceful tone.  
  
"What if I don't want to, little man?"  
  
"Did you just call me little man?"  
  
"Yes, I did!"  
  
The young man gave Hermione her balance back and took a step in his direction, dividing the biker and her.  
  
"Let go of her..." he said more threateningly.  
  
"No!"  
  
The man drew his fist back and used the weight of his entire masculine body to force his fist into the biker's face.  
  
"Let her go...."  
  
The man released his grip from Hermione wrist.  
  
"You've picked the wrong fight to get involved in..." said the biker.  
  
"I don't believe I have."  
  
The young man whipped his body around 360 degrees and his heel hit the back of the biker's knee. Within seconds flat the man lie face up on the floor.  
  
"It's you who picked the wrong person to mess with."  
  
The young man turned his back to the motionless biker who lay on the floor and walked over to the dumbfounded woman who he had defended.  
  
Hermione watched him as he approached her and his silk, blonde hair dangled in front of his eyes. The flexed muscles defined the cloth that encased his torso and blue veins could be seen running up his arm. His face was a carved one and his pale blue eyes made contact with her deep brown ones.  
  
"Umm....wow....I don't know what to say."  
  
"Well, you could say thank you."  
  
"Right, how stupid of me. Thank you."  
  
"You're not stupid. You are the farthest thing from it. How about we go to the restaurant.....Hermione?"  
  
"Wh-how...how do you know my name?" 


	4. Reacquaintances

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine! All J. K. Rowling's work!  
  
"Wait a second, Draco?"  
  
"Mmmhmmmm...."  
  
"Wow, I didn't even recognize you!"  
  
"I didn't know you were here until I saw the commotion and intervened."  
  
"You look so....good."  
  
"Thank you. I remember you quite differently from Hogwarts as well....I mean to say that you look good as well."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"What do you say? Would you go to the restaurant around the corner with me? I'd like to catch up."  
  
"I'd love to."  
  
Draco waved his hand in a motion signaling for her to go first. She stepped over the threshold of D3 and he followed. They walked side by side down the walkway in silence.  
  
When they reached the door of the restaurant clearly labeled "Antonio's," he took an extra step to get ahead of her and he reached to open the door for her.  
  
"After you my lady."  
  
Hermione smiled at him and walked through the door that stood ajar. Draco followed her and his eyes snaked their way around the curves of her body. His attention turned to the waitress as they entered.  
  
"Good evening. How many are present?"  
  
"Just the two of us."  
  
She nodded and said, "Right this way."  
  
Hermione and Draco followed the waitress to a small isolated table in the back of the restaurant. A small fire danced in the fireplace and the shadows hopped along the wall with grace.  
  
Hermione sat facing the fire and Draco sat directly across, his back to the fire, while the waitress placed the menus on the table.  
  
"I'll be back in about 5 minutes to take your order."  
  
"Okay. Thank you."  
  
The waitress walked away to serve her other assigned tables and Draco turned his attention to Hermione.  
  
"It's been so long" said Draco.  
  
"I know. What's it been, five or six years?"  
  
"About that. What have you been doing with yourself?"  
  
"Well, I took up a job at the Ministry."  
  
"Which department?"  
  
"Regulation of Law and Criminal Justice."  
  
"Intriguing. I've always found that sort of stuff interesting."  
  
"Really? What do you do?"  
  
"After I graduated from Hogwarts and my mother died...."  
  
She cut him off. "When did your mother die? I'm so sorry!"  
  
"As long as there's a place in my heart for her, I know she'll never leave my side. She died about three years ago. Anyway, I decided to become and Auror."  
  
"Fascinating. The thought crossed my mind as I graduated, but then I always thought I was more suited for office work" said Hermione with a smile.  
  
Draco smiled back at her and looked deep in to her eyes. Her brown eyes opened deep into the matrix of her soul and his eyes were sucked into the abyss.  
  
"You look so beautiful..."  
  
"Thank you...don't be tempted though, I am engaged. Currently we're having some difficulties though."  
  
Draco glanced at her ring finger and watched the dazzling ring sparkle in the fire light.  
  
"What made you come to the bar?"  
  
"That's what I was talking about before. Ron and I are having some problems."  
  
Draco almost spit the wine out that he had in his mouth at the sound of her and Ron being engaged.  
  
"You and Ron?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Well, we had a big fight on the phone before I came to the bar..." she said as tears began to well up in her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry....do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"Not in particular. Look it's going to make me cry. Don't make me cry, I'm too cute for that" she said and she managed to stifle a laugh. "I'm just glad I have some company tonight."  
  
"Come on; get it off your chest...literally" he said as he glanced down to her breasts and back to her face again.  
  
Hermione, not sure of whether he had looked at her breasts or not, hesitated and gave in.  
  
"Well, I think he's hiding something illegal from me....and he won't tell me what it is..."  
  
"Ron? Illegal? Never."  
  
"He's perfectly capable of it you know; just as I am."  
  
"You? Never in a million years! You're too good-hearted for that."  
  
"I appreciate that...and it's true that I wouldn't do anything illegal. I just don't know whether to believe him or not. He sounds convincing, but something in my heart of hearts tells me that he's not telling the truth."  
  
"Always trust your heart, Hermione, like I am now."  
  
Hermione looked into his pale blue eyes and erased his comment from her memory.  
  
"What are you going to order?" she said, changing the topic.  
  
"Well, what are you going to order?"  
  
"The chicken parmigiana sounded good to me; simple yet satisfying. I haven't had it in a while either."  
  
The waitress arrived seconds later.  
  
"May I take your orders?"  
  
Hermione began, "Yes, I'll have the chicken parmigiana."  
  
"I'll have the same" said Draco.  
  
Draco smiled at Hermione and she smiled back at him. The sound of Draco's favorite song caught his ear.  
  
"Hermione?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Would you like to dance?"  
  
Not sure what to say, she said, "Sure, why not?"  
  
"I could tell you all the reasons why...."  
  
Hermione smiled at him as he extended his hand to grasp hers. Hermione took his gratefully and he led her out onto the full dance floor.  
  
When Draco had pulled her into the middle of the floor, he stopped and turned around. Hermione slowly felt his masculine hands snake around her waist and pull her close to him. Against him, she could feel the toned muscles of his chest and she could faintly hear the steady beat of his heart over the music. As he continued to pull her closer, she rested her head on his broad shoulder. New sensations began to encompass her mind, spirit and body. The light scent of his cologne wafted into her nose as she listened to the sweet lyrics seep into her head. Draco drew lazy circles across her back and her body started to tingle all over.  
  
~~  
  
Maybe it's intuition  
  
But some things you just don't question  
  
Like in your eyes  
  
I see my future in an instant  
  
and there it goes  
  
I think I've found my best friend  
  
I know that it might sound more than  
  
a little crazy but I believe  
  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
  
I think I dreamed you into life  
  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
  
I have been waiting all my life  
  
There's just no rhyme or reason  
  
only this sense of completion  
  
and in your eyes  
  
I see the missing pieces  
  
I'm searching for  
  
I think I found my way home  
  
I know that it might sound more than  
  
a little crazy but I believe  
  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
  
I think I dreamed you into life  
  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
  
I have been waiting all my life  
  
A thousand angels dance around you  
  
I am complete now that I found you  
  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
  
I think I dreamed you into life  
  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
  
I have been waiting all my life  
  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
  
I think I dreamed you into life  
  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
  
I have been waiting all my life  
  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
  
I think I dreamed you into life  
  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
  
I have been waiting all my life  
  
~~  
  
As the song came to a close, Draco put mere inches away from her face and looked directly into her chocolate brown eyes. She was the first to break the eye contact and he pulled her close for another round.  
  
The two slowly swayed to the melody of the music and the lyrics drained their thoughts. Hermione was rather enjoying this predicament however. Her thoughts were now split between Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley. Never in a million years had she thought this moment would ever occur.  
  
The chorus faded away as well as the melody and Draco led her back to the table. When they arrived and had seated themselves at the table, the food had already been served. Steam from the freshly cooked chicken filled the air and the sweet aroma filtered through Hermione's nose.  
  
Hermione began to slice the tender chicken with her knife and the two ate in silence. Occasionally, one would glance at the other when they were not looking, but Hermione made it a point not to make direct eye contact with him.  
  
When the two were finished, the waitress brought them the check and before Hermione even had a chance to see it Draco had swiped it from the table and had begun to dig out money to pay for it.  
  
"Draco, let me pay for my half."  
  
"No, I'm paying."  
  
"I insist."  
  
"What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't? Don't worry about it."  
  
Hermione gave him a stern and disapproving look. Draco smiled casually as the waitress came back for the check and the payment. When the bill was all paid for, they made their way out.  
  
"Would you like to come back to my place for a drink?"  
  
After a second's thought, Hermione replied, "Well, alright, but I can't stay for too long."  
  
Draco nodded. "That's understandable...can't resist me?"  
  
"No...It's just that I have to work tomorrow."  
  
"Let's go."  
  
Draco extended his hand to her once again and they walked back to his home. It was a brick house with a grey roof. The look from the front was colonial and several flowers were scattered around his front lawn.  
  
"I didn't expect you to have flowers all around here."  
  
"What, a man can't enjoy the simple things in life?"  
  
"Did I say that? I love flowers."  
  
"In that case..." Draco released his grip from her hand and walked lightly towards a small section of flowers. He quickly swiped his hand and whisked them out of the ground. He then walked back over to her and said, "For you, my lady."  
  
Hermione gratefully accepted them and brought them up to her nose to inhale the sweet scent. "Thank you. You're so sweet."  
  
"It's one of my best features."  
  
"Yeah? What are your others?"  
  
"You're going to have to find out on your own...."  
  
"I look forward to it."  
  
Draco led Hermione into his cozy home. The inside was decorated modernly yet conservatively. Most of his furniture was oak and the walls were all painted white. He led her into the kitchen towards the back of the house and it was just as beautiful. It was spacious with a table sitting right under a magnificent chandelier.  
  
The bar was orientated to Hermione's left and she took a seat on one of the comfy bar stools. He pretended to be a bartender.  
  
"Can I get you something?" he said mockingly.  
  
Hermione stifled a laugh and replied, "Yes, how about a martini?"  
  
Draco nodded and began to mix two martinis, one for him and one for her. Draco handed one glass to her and said, "Cheers."  
  
"Cheers to...?"  
  
"Cheers to all our happiness and sucesses."  
  
Hermione nodded and took a sip of hers the same time that he took a sip of his. Hermione looked into his ice-blue eyes, full of emotion and passion. His eyes locked with her chocolate brown ones and time seemed to stop. An awkward silence arose between the two of them.  
  
Draco placed his drink on the counter and took hers as well, setting it next to his. He then walked closer to her and pulled her close to him... 


	5. Mixed Emotions

Disclaimer: Characters not mine!  
  
Draco's hands snaked their way around Hermione's petite waist. His masculine arms pulled her femininity toward him and the two meshed. His eyes continued to stay locked with hers and Draco tilted his head to one side while lifting her chin up with one hand.  
  
Moments later, Hermione felt herself being pulled into an abyss of new emotions and feelings. His lips became tantalizingly close to hers and Hermione's eye lids dropped shut automatically. She could feel the presence of his lush lips moving closer and they finally reached her own.  
  
His lips brushed softly against hers at first and as his feelings spoke through the kiss to her, she pulled away.  
  
"Draco, we can't do this...I'm engaged."  
  
"I know....I'm sorry. No, what I am saying? I'm not sorry for kissing you. I'm sorry that we didn't realize sooner."  
  
"Realize what?"  
  
"What we have together."  
  
"Draco, I have to go."  
  
"Don't you feel it as well?"  
  
"I have to go now."  
  
Hermione turned to leave and Draco grasped her wrist tightly, whipping her back around to see her face. He saw all the confusion playing across her face and released her wrist to let her leave.  
  
Hermione looked back at him gratefully and grabbed her purse off the bar stool. She slung it over her shoulder and said weakly, "Thank you for the drink and the thing at the bar."  
  
"No problem. It was my pleasure. Believe me."  
  
Hermione then made her way to his front door and let herself out, closing the door behind her. Hermione's thoughts entangled themselves with each other as she walked the streets alone to her apartment. Her emotions were split between her fiancée, Ron, and her long-time enemy, Draco.  
  
"How had she gotten into this mess?" she thought to herself.  
  
As she reached her apartment door, she had her key all out and ready to unlock it. When she got inside, she put her things down and walked over to her phone. The answering machine light was blinking so she pressed the play button to hear the recording. It said:  
  
"Hey honey, it's me. I'm really sorry about before. We'll talk more when I get home. I promise I'm not lying to you. I need to get back to work now, but I wanted to tell you that I love you."  
  
Hermione hit the stop button on the base of the phone in disgust and sighed. She longed for all her stress and complications to leave her mind.  
  
Hermione felt like relaxing so she went into her room to change into something more comfortable. She put a pair of cotton plaid shorts and a blue tank top on. Her slippers sat on the floor by her bed and she slipped them on as well.  
  
Hermione then walked into her television room and laid down on the couch to watch something on TV. She flipped slowly through the channels, not bothering to pay attention to the screen because of the roaming thoughts in her mindless head.  
  
Meanwhile, Draco lie face up on his bed at his house, imagining Hermione without clothes on. He yearned to get to know her better. He needed to get to know her better to live. When she was around him, nothing else seemed to matter. She made all his stress, hurts, and thoughts disappear.  
  
His thoughts then took him on a trip to memory lane. It took him to their years spent at Hogwarts and how he had always treated her, not because of the fact that she wasn't 'pureblood', but because of her appearance at the current time and how her attitude disgusted him. Draco's father had always opposed 'Mudbloods' as they were referred to in the wizarding world. Lucius worked in the Dark Arts for Lord Voldemort. He was supposed to have enormous amounts of power, yet was easily overcome by the famous Harry Potter, whom Draco had always despised until that year, when he had assisted him in the defeat. Since then, rivalries between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins ceased to exist.  
  
Despite this however, Draco never had the motivation in getting to know Hermione. Back at Hogwarts, she was the top ranking student, formally known to him as a know-it-all Mudblood. Her efforts to always be the best out-drove his and she had beaten him for valedictorian that year. When graduation day came around, he found himself happy to be moving on to bigger and better things, ridding himself of his reputation and being able to begin anew. But as time wore on, life became more difficult and complex, not in the sense of trying to survive because when Lucius had died after his mother, Narcissa, he had inherited great amounts of money that would support him and his future wife for the rest of their lives without ever holding a job.  
  
This sudden meeting of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, who had been each other's worst enemies, had been the surprise of a life time. More shocking, they actually got along, were able to hold mature conversations, and both, afraid to admit it, loved every moment of it being together. His final thoughts of the past were guilt of his behavior towards the angel he had met the present day.  
  
Draco's mind snapped him back to the present time.  
  
"I need to see her. I just have to!"  
  
Draco sprang up off of the bed and glanced in the mirror to check his appearance. With a slight *POP*, Draco had apparated himself to her apartment. Hermione's lack of knowledge of this let her remain calm. Draco stood silently in the shadows of her apartment waiting for the right time to appear. Draco watched her intently click through the same channels over and over again. In a short few minutes, Hermione's head began to lull to one side and her eyelids soon dropped closed.  
  
Draco saw this as the perfect opportunity to make his move. Without a sound, not even a creak from the old floor, he walked steadily toward her. When he approached her, he slowly bent down over her and her mind screamed, "open your eyes!" at her, but they, on their own, ignored her. Within seconds, Draco's lips were on hers. Hermione did not resist him at first, nor did she kiss him back until she realized who it was.  
  
Draco began to prod at her lips to slide his tongue into her mouth, but this she resisted. She pushed him away.  
  
"Draco! What do you think you're doing?"  
  
"Kissing you."  
  
"No, you were kissing my butt! I'm well aware of that thank you!"  
  
"I wouldn't mind doing that though" he teased.  
  
"I'm not kidding Draco." Draco immediately stopped smiling. "I told you. I love Ron and I'm engaged to him."  
  
"Three hours ago, you didn't know whether to trust him. Heck, you thought he was doing something illegal!"  
  
"Well, that doesn't mean I don't love him."  
  
"Hermione, love is based on trust. If there's no trust, there's no love."  
  
"Look, I love him, and I trust him...mostly."  
  
"There's not a 'mostly' in trust Hermione. It's either one or the other. There's no way of getting around it!!"  
  
"Draco, I love him!"  
  
"No you don't. I can see it in your eyes!"  
  
"Then you can't see shit Draco!"  
  
"Say that again."  
  
"Say what?"  
  
"My name."  
  
"Draco. Why do you want me to do that?"  
  
"Because I love when you do."  
  
"We're getting off the topic here. What makes you think you can just sweep me off my feet and ruin what I have with Ron?  
  
"I swept you off your feet?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"You just said I did!"  
  
"No I didn't!"  
  
"Yes you did!"  
  
"I said what makes you think you can just mess things up with Ron and I! I love him God damn it!"  
  
"Hermione, didn't you feel something when I was holding you close to me and dancing with you?"  
  
Hermione knew exactly how she felt, but didn't dare to tell him. "I felt nothing!"  
  
"Liar!"  
  
"Draco, just go! Leave!"  
  
"I can't do that!"  
  
"If you don't, I'll call the cops!"  
  
"You wouldn't dare!"  
  
"Watch me!"  
  
Hermione stormed over to the phone and picked it up. She hesitated and put it back down on the receiver.  
  
"Ha! See! You won't!"  
  
"Only because I don't want to deal with all the commotion."  
  
"That's not the truth and you know it! All the signs are here Hermione!"  
  
"What signs?"  
  
"Of love Hermione, of love."  
  
"There is no love here!"  
  
"There is, your just don't see it yet. You're blinded by false hope."  
  
Hermione had nothing to say to that. She remained speechless for a moment and pretended to be thinking.  
  
"How did you get here anyway?"  
  
"I apparated myself here."  
  
"Well, don't do it again because it scared the shit out of me!"  
  
"I think I can manage that."  
  
Draco smiled at Hermione and she smiled right back at him. Their eyes locked for a moment and Hermione broke it.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Will you please leave?"  
  
Draco saw the fear and confusion once again in her eyes and nodded.  
  
"I will, but don't think I won't be back."  
  
"I don't have an objection to seeing you. Just don't "pop in" like you did tonight...literally."  
  
Draco laughed lightly and nodded. Draco walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist and she buried her face in his chest.  
  
"I'll be back soon."  
  
Hermione was left standing as she was during his embrace when he apparated out of her apartment. She fell slightly forward not expecting him to leave like he did, but regained her balance shortly after.  
  
That night, as Hermione lie in her bed, awaiting unconsciousness to draw her into sleep, everything about Draco possessed her mind. She lie awake until exhaustion overcame her and she slipped into a deep and dreamful sleep.  
  
As Draco arrived home, he crawled into his bed. Hermione possessed his every thought. No matter what he tried to do to erase it, it laid imprinted in the contours of his brain. Soon after, exhaustion dragged him into dreamland and he slept peacefully.  
  
The next morning, her alarm clock never rang. Her exhaustion and perplexing thoughts last night had caused her to forget about it. It was not until the sun rose that she woke up. As the sun beat in on her pale white skin, her eyes fluttered open. The first place they darted to was the alarm clock that read 9:13.  
  
Hermione blinked a couple times and rubbed her eyes to see if she was imagining numbers, but it still read 9:13.  
  
"How did I manage to do this?!"  
  
Hermione jumped quickly out of her bed and threw some capris and a t-shirt on. She threw her hair up in a bun on the top of her head and apparated herself to work with a small *POP*.  
  
She appeared out of thin air in a near alley way and walked briskly to her office building. After climbing 8 flights of stairs, she rushed to her desk and took her seat.  
  
Moments later, her manager walked past and noticed that she had arrived.  
  
"Running a little late this morning I see."  
  
"Yes ma'am" replied Hermione.  
  
"What's your reason?"  
  
Hermione frantically searched her head for a reason. She knew perfectly well that she couldn't tell the manager she had overslept.  
  
"I-I had to do a favor for a friend, it was an emergency" she said quickly.  
  
"Well, because it was your first offense throughout the entire time you've been with us, I'll let you off with just a warning. Don't let it happen again."  
  
"Yes ma'am. Thank you ma'am."  
  
Her employer nodded and continued walking to the copying room right down the hall.  
  
"Phew! That was close!" she said quietly to herself.  
  
Hermione unpacked the work that needed to be completed that day. The load had been even bigger than the pile she had to do yesterday.  
  
She groaned and unwillingly began to sort through each case. One by one, the pile got smaller and she was about halfway through when twelve o'clock rolled around.  
  
She glanced up at the clock and put her quill down to go get some lunch. As she stood to walk to the lunch room where her colleagues usually ate, she bumped into a man as he stood directly behind her. The man stood completely stagnant as she hit him and the force caused her to bounce back off of him. As she lost her balance backwards, he reacted quickly and caught her around her waist.  
  
"Good morning Hermione."  
  
"Good morning to you too, Draco. Don't scare me like that!"  
  
"I'm truly sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."  
  
"Don't worry about it. I just nearly fell on my ass on the floor."  
  
Draco laughed lightly.  
  
"I was curious as to whether you were interested in having lunch with me."  
  
"I think we could arrange that."  
  
"Good. It's what I was hoping you'd say."  
  
"How about, you wait outside for me while I go try to get the rest of the day off."  
  
"Even better."  
  
"I'll meet you outside in ten minutes, I promise."  
  
"I'm going to hold you to that."  
  
"Good, because I had no intention of breaking it."  
  
Hermione turned to talk to her employer as Draco headed to turn out of her office. He waited patiently for her outside the building on a nearby bench.  
  
Hermione knocked on the door of her manager and stepped in.  
  
"I need a favor."  
  
"Yes? I'm listening" she said while writing something down.  
  
"Well...would it be possible for me to get the rest of the day off?"  
  
"It all depends on your reason."  
  
"Well, my friend, the friend I helped this morning, is dealing with a lot on her table and she really needs my help. If you would be so kind as to..."  
  
"As long as you put in some over time tomorrow, I don't see why not."  
  
Hermione flipped the choice over in her head, between Draco today and overtime tomorrow.  
  
"Thank you! I'll be here bright and early tomorrow morning! Thank you!"  
  
Hermione ran out of the office and found Draco waiting on a bench outside the building.  
  
"All set for the rest of the day."  
  
Draco extended his hand to hers and she grasped it. He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it lightly.  
  
"Where would you like to go?"  
  
"Well, what would you say to game of Muggle mini golf before lunch?"  
  
"Mini golf? I'm not familiar with the game."  
  
"Well, that's alright. I'll teach it to you."  
  
"I look forward to it."  
  
Hermione smiled at him and he drew her closer as he put his arm around her waist.  
  
When they got to the golf course, she took his hand and led him in. They took two golf balls, two clubs, and walked to the first hole.  
  
"Alright, here's how this works. The point of the game is to get the ball in the hole in the least amount of strokes as possible."  
  
Draco nodded.  
  
"You can go first" said Hermione.  
  
"Don't laugh if I'm not very good."  
  
"Don't worry, I will."  
  
Draco stepped up to the flat tee and placed his ball on one of the holes. He then gripped his club and hit the ball lightly. It completely missed the hole and bounced across the green several times.  
  
Hermione giggled and stepped up to the tee as Draco moved aside. Her ball stopped a mere two inches from the hole.  
  
"Okay, because my ball is the closest I get to hit mine in the hole first."  
  
"How do I know that you're not making these rules up?"  
  
"Don't you trust me?"  
  
"With my life."  
  
"Then, I'm not making them up. I promise."  
  
Hermione took one stroke to hit her ball in the hole and Draco took another three to hit his in.  
  
As they approached the next hole, the green was a steep hill with the hole on the other side.  
  
"Okay, you're going to have to hit this one a little harder. Would you like me to help you?"  
  
Draco nodded excitedly. She had finally begun to loosen up to him.  
  
Draco placed his ball on the tee and Hermione stepped behind him. She snaked her hands around his waist and grabbed hold of the club that was already in his hands.  
  
Hermione lined the ball and the hole up and Draco swung at the ball with Hermione's help. Draco hit it too hard however and it bounced off the green into the grass.  
  
"That's one penalty stroke!"  
  
Hermione laughed at him and he smiled back at her. He loved hearing her laugh and would do anything to make her do so, including making a fool of himself.  
  
Hermione stepped up to the tee and hit a hole-in-one. She jumped up and down excitedly!  
  
"Shove that up your ass!"  
  
"My pleasure!"  
  
"Draco! You're such a sick-o!"  
  
"I know." He laughed lightly and they went to fetch his ball from the grass.  
  
"Now, just give it a small tap this time."  
  
Draco nodded and sunk the ball in the hole.  
  
"You're a good teacher."  
  
"You think?"  
  
"I not only think, I know. I'm dying to know what else you can teach me."  
  
Hermione smiled modestly. "You'll find out...in time."  
  
"I hate time."  
  
"I do as well, but, it's a part of life."  
  
"On the other hand, I do love life, so I'll just have to deal with it."  
  
"Good attitude."  
  
Hermione smiled at him, walked over to him, and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
As they ended the game, Draco ended up beating her by two points, caused only by the four holes-in-ones he got.  
  
"You only won because I let you win."  
  
"No, I won because you're such a good teacher and I'm a fast learner."  
  
Hermione giggled and she paid for the game. Draco insisted on paying, but she wouldn't allow it.  
  
"Where shall we eat?"  
  
"Well, I was thinking...what about the little restaurant on the beach?"  
  
"That sounds good to me."  
  
Draco laced his fingers between hers and they walked together to the beach. Passers by noticed so and admired the youthful couple. 


	6. The Trip

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine!  
  
As the two reached the beach, Hermione slid her sandals off and carried them as the sand found its way in between her toes.  
  
Draco admired the physical features of her face as they walked hand in hand and his eyes stayed glued to her the entire time. Occasionally, Hermione would glance up and he noticed him looking at her. One of the times she did, she noticed his hair hanging over his eyes.  
  
Hermione then glanced out toward the water. The sun had begun its descent over the horizon and Mother Nature's painting revealed itself in the endless sky. Hermione pulled Draco to a stop and turned toward the endless pool of water.  
  
As she turned, his arms snaked their way around her waist from behind and hers rested over his. The two stood silently observing the symphonic sky and listening to the lullaby of the ocean. His head was adjacent to hers and the temptation to kiss her was almost unbearable.  
  
"Do you have any idea how difficult is it right now to restrain myself?"  
  
"I have an idea of how difficult it is."  
  
"Well, I want everything to be perfect when I do sweep you off your feet."  
  
"You took the words right out of my mouth."  
  
Draco was slightly surprised at her response but remained silent. He was concentrating all of his energy to not making a move on her. Another few minutes passed before he suggested they go.  
  
Draco laced his fingers in hers once again and they made their way to the restaurant. As they approached it, Hermione's thoughts jumped. This is where she had made reservations for her wedding reception and here she would be showing up with another man! Maybe they wouldn't know her or what her fiancée looked like. She only prayed that they didn't.  
  
When they reached the door, Draco held it ajar for her to enter and placed his hand on the small of her back. At this motion, she jumped, not from surprise, but from nerves.  
  
"What's the matter Hermione?"  
  
"Oh-nothing. I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah, sorry."  
  
Hermione smiled at him to reassure him and he understood silently.  
  
"How many?"  
  
"Just the two of us" stated Draco.  
  
The hostess nodded and led them to a booth towards the right of the restaurant. They took their seats as the hostess placed their menus on the table.  
  
"Your waitress will be with you shortly."  
  
Draco picked up his menu and Hermione did as well. Her eyes glanced down the list and she spotted fresh salmon topped with lemon juice and sautéed vegetables on the side.  
  
Draco began eyeing the baby back ribs. He hadn't had those in a long time. Draco stood up silently without Hermione knowing and he slid in next to her. His arm went automatically around her shoulders and she jumped. Draco hadn't expected her to jump a second time so he asked her again, "Are you sure you're okay?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, I just wasn't expecting that."  
  
"You don't mind, do you?"  
  
"No, not at all."  
  
"Well, relax then."  
  
Hermione nodded to him and the waitress approached the table. Hermione felt an uneasiness rising in her throat.  
  
"What can I get you?"  
  
"Go ahead Hermione."  
  
"I'll have the salmon please....oh and a glass of water."  
  
"And you sir?"  
  
"I'll have the baby back ribs please. Will you also bring us a bottle of red wine?"  
  
"Yes sir. Coming right up."  
  
The waitress walked away and Hermione leaned into Draco's shoulder. His arm grasped her tighter as she sighed of relief. The uneasiness would not leave however until the evening was done.  
  
Hermione heard music in the background and saw people dancing on the distant dance floor.  
  
"Draco, how about we go dance?"  
  
"Really? You really want to??"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Okay. Let's go" he said with a smile on his face. He extended his hand to hers and led her over to the dance floor.  
  
Hermione let him pull her close to him and his hands slithered around her waist. She let herself mold to his firm body and they fit together like two missing pieces of a puzzle. Her head rested on his shoulder and her arms went around his neck. She longed to let her hands explore his body but they remained motionless upon his shoulders.  
  
Draco's head hung near hers and the fresh smell of her hair filtered through his nose. He yearned to touch her and to love her, but he knew it wasn't the right time. He needed everything to be exactly right.  
  
The two swayed ever so effortlessly to the beat of the music.  
  
"You're a really good dancer" said Hermione.  
  
"It helps that I have a good partner."  
  
Hermione smiled up at him and stared into his deep grey eyes.  
  
"Don't you feel anything when we are close like this?"  
  
Hermione didn't answer.  
  
"It starts right about here" and he placed his finger by her belly button, "and moves this way and that way." He drew a line from her stomach up her torso, between her breasts, and up to her chin, and then started back at her belly button, moving downwards. "And it ends right about here."  
  
Hermione felt pulses run through her body and her body began to tingle. She looked deep into his eyes and propped herself up on her tiptoes. Hermione threw her arms around his neck and pulled his face closer to his. Draco brushed his lips against hers lightly and started to press his lips against hers, but pulled away.  
  
"No...I want everything to be perfect. What would you say if I asked you to go with me to my resort in Hawaii?"  
  
"What do you think I'm going to say?"  
  
"I don't know...that's why I asked."  
  
"Of course."  
  
A smile played across Draco's lips and he pulled her back close to him. He massaged the back of her head with his masculine palm and just led her along the dance floor, their feet just gliding over the wood.  
  
As the song came to an end, they stopped dancing and Draco led her back over to the table. He waited for her to slide in and took a seat next to her. Moments later, their food arrived.  
  
"Here you go. Enjoy!" said the waitress as she placed their meals on the table. "Let me know if I can get you anything."  
  
They both nodded simultaneously and began eating.  
  
"Draco, I'm cold."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Hermione nodded and Draco pulled her closer to him. He put his fork down and wrapped both arms around her petite body to warm her up. After several minutes, he asked, "Better?"  
  
"Mmhmm."  
  
"Good."  
  
The two resumed eating until they were done. The waitress made her way over to them and asked, "Is there anything else I can get you?"  
  
"No thank you."  
  
The waitress left momentarily and came back with the check.  
  
"Here you go sir. Tonight we have also chosen you to do a survey for us so we know how we're doing as a restaurant as well. Would you mind giving us five minutes of your time?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Great. The manager will be by shortly.  
  
Hermione jumped up at the sound of the manager. She had talked to the manager about their reception and he would recognize her immediately.  
  
Moments later, the manager approached the table.  
  
"Don't I know you?" he asked questioning Hermione.  
  
"No" she lied quickly.  
  
"I do! You came in here for that double wedding reception. And this must be the lucky man!"  
  
Draco sat there with a very perplexed expression playing across hi face.  
  
"Oh no. He's just a friend."  
  
"Just a friend? Right, I got it" he said sarcastically. "On with the survey..."  
  
Hermione was glad he hadn't pushed the topic any farther.  
  
"Did you enjoy your food?"  
  
"Very much so. It's one of the better restaurants I've been to."  
  
"Okay. How was the service?"  
  
"It was excellent. The waitress was very friendly and it would be a pity if you ever fired her."  
  
The manager nodded. "Would you come back here given the option?"  
  
"Absolutely. Hell, I'll even recommend it to everyone I know."  
  
"Thank you for your time."  
  
Draco nodded and he paid for the bill after arguing with Hermione about it for several minutes. She gave him a look of disapproval as the exited the restaurant.  
  
His arm went instinctively around her waist as they walked down the beach. She once again took her shoes off to let the sand sift between her toes.  
  
Draco pulled her to a stop and she appeased. Draco put one arm behind her knees and one behind her back and lifted her up off her feet. Her arm went automatically around his neck and she smiled at him. They stayed still, standing on the empty beach together.  
  
"It's so beautiful out here. I love this sort of stuff."  
  
"Not nearly as beautiful as you and I love you."  
  
Hermione's mind took her to a flashback a couple days before where Ron had said almost the same thing to her. She looked down at the ring on her finger and back up at Draco. Hermione slid the ring off of her finger and placed in it her pants pocket. Draco smiled at her and carried her all the way to her apartment. His grey eyes twinkled at her as she stared back at him.  
  
Droc refused to put her down until she was inside her apartment despite her begging.  
  
"You didn't have to do that you know" she said when they had finally gotten inside.  
  
"I know I didn't, but I wanted to because I love you."  
  
Hermione smiled at him and remained silent.  
  
"I have never cared about anyone in my entire life the way I care about you. It's killing me right now not to take your breath away but I've focused my energy into doing so."  
  
"When we were dancing and you were describing the feelings that you were getting when we were close like that, every one of those sensations pulsed through my body."  
  
"Hermione, I need to go now. If I stay another minute, I'm going to lose all sense of right and wrong."  
  
Hermione nodded and walked over to him. She gave him a warm hug and he returned it. He then turned to leave.  
  
"Remember, after tomorrow, we're on the way to Hawaii...I'll be here at twelve o'clock to pick you up."  
  
"I can't wait."  
  
Draco smiled at her as he left and she closed the door behind him. Hurriedly, Hermione changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth and headed for bed. The next day was going to busy for her.  
  
Hermione pulled the covers over her head attempted to sleep. Within twenty minutes or so, her anxiety passed into peaceful dream.....  
  
Six o'clock rolled around and Hermione's alarm clock buzzed loudly until it forced the unconsciousness out of her and she woke up with an irritated expression set on her face.  
  
Hermione slammed her fist down on the snooze button and dragged her feet across the floor to her bathroom.  
  
Hermione stripped herself of her clothes and turned on the taps. As the water emerged, it cascaded down her fair skin and trickled down the drain. She slowly massaged coconut scented shampoo through her long hair and rinsed it out when she felt clean.  
  
Hermione turned off the taps; she towel dried herself off and got dressed for work. With a small *POP*, she appeared in her work office at the Ministry and walked over to clock in. When she arrived back at her desk, she unloaded her briefcase to begin the tedious work of sorting through each case.  
  
As each minute passed, it became harder and harder for her to concentrate on the work she was supposed to be doing. To top it all off, she had to work a couple extra hours of overtime to cover up for what happened yesterday and it seemed as though she would never get out of there.  
  
Slowly however, the 'undone' pile shrank itself as the 'done' pile grew. At long last, Hermione had finished the last case and she glanced up at the clock. It read 6:15.  
  
Hermione sighed with relief because her long shift had finally come to an end. She clocked out and apparated back to her apartment. When she arrived, she put her things down and went into her bedroom where she found Draco on her bed.  
  
"Jesus Christ!"  
  
"What?" asked Draco innocently.  
  
"Don't scare me like that! What did I tell you about that?!"  
  
"Sorry hun. I didn't think it would scare you. Relax."  
  
Draco walked over to her and hugged her. She allowed herself to fall into his arms and embrace her.  
  
"I just had to see you."  
  
"Draco, screw tomorrow! Let's go right now."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, let me go home and pack some things quickly and you pack some of your own things. I'll be back here at 9:30 for you.  
  
Hermione nodded and he disappeared.  
  
Draco appeared at his own home and ran around frantically packing. He hadn't expected her to reply with that.  
  
Back at Hermione's apartment, Hermione ran around and threw things in her bag. To quicken her pace, she levitated some things into it.  
  
As she finished, she zipped her bag closed and threw it by the door. She then went back into her room and put on a sun dress that was peach in color and about mid-thigh length. Her shoes were simple flip flops that hit the back of her heal with a tap every time she took a step.  
  
Hermione played with her hair and decided to pull it back into a tight bun on the back of her head. A few tendrils emerged from all angles of it and fell gently down the back of her head.  
  
Moments later, Draco arrived. He was just on time as he said he would be.  
  
"Ready to go?"  
  
"Yup" she yelled from the bathroom.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
Hermione gave herself a once over and stepped out of the bathroom. When she emerged, Draco's eyes looked over her once.  
  
"You look beautiful."  
  
"Thank you. You look handsome yourself."  
  
Draco wore a tight blue shirt with khaki pants. All of his chest muscles could be seen and his blonde hair hung in front of his eyes.  
  
Hermione's dress was a low cut one and came about mid-thigh. The top was a halter top and came to a V at her breast line.  
  
"Gods, you better hope you don't bend over too far today."  
  
"I'll try not to."  
  
Hermione winked at him teasingly and pretended to bend over.  
  
"No, don't you even."  
  
Hermione stopped and Draco sighed. He grabbed both of their bags and they walked down to his car.  
  
"Nice wheels!"  
  
"Thanks" Draco said proudly.  
  
In front of the two of them sat a blue BMW Z3. Its convertible top was black and folded back. Draco popped open the trunk and tossed their bags into it.  
  
"Draco, why don't we just apparate there?"  
  
"Well, it would be kind of weird just apparating out of thin air into a crowd of humans, don't you think?"  
  
"I suppose so. Hey, I'm not complaining."  
  
"I figured you wouldn't"  
  
Draco winked at her and opened the car door for her to slide in. Hermione appeased and took a seat in the passenger side.  
  
"Hey, do you think I could drive this?!"  
  
"We'll see."  
  
"Oh c'mon! Don't you trust me?"  
  
"You know I do."  
  
"Then c'mon!"  
  
"We'll see. How about when we get there?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
Hermione smiled at him and he backed out of the parking space. As he accelerated down the road, the air whistled around her. It blew through her hair and it felt so good. The sky was baby blue and not a single cloud lingered.  
  
When Draco and Hermione arrived at the airport a couple hours later, Draco carried their bags inside and checked them in after buying their tickets.  
  
The two waited in the terminal for their numbers to be called to board the plane.  
  
"Rows 1-20!"  
  
"We're next Draco."  
  
Several minutes later, the stewardess called their rows and they boarded the plane. Draco laced his fingers with Hermione's and they took their seats on the plane. 


	7. Emotions Revealed

The stewardess picked up the microphone as soon as everyone was situated in their seats and began speaking.  
  
"Hi everyone. Welcome aboard Blue Lines. We ask that you stay seated as much as possible because there is a possibility of high turbulence today. There is to be no use of electronic devices during takeoff and landing and we ask that the trays be folded up as well. If you need assistance, please feel free to ask any of our staff members and they will be glad to help you."  
  
The stewardess smiled at everyone and went to the cockpit to signal the pilot that it was all go.  
  
The seatbelt light flashed and Draco noticed so. He put his belt on quickly and Hermione reached for hers but he stopped her.  
  
"Let me do the honors."  
  
Hermione nodded and Draco reached for her belt. As he pulled it across her, he dragged his finger along her stomach.  
  
"That tickles."  
  
"Does it? But it felt good didn't it?"  
  
"You could say that."  
  
Draco smiled at Hermione and looked down at her breasts.  
  
"Gods, you look beautiful today."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"I'm only stating the truth."  
  
"Well, you're not far off from Prince Charming himself today."  
  
Hermione smiled at Draco and leaned her head on his shoulder. His arm went automatically around her and her eyes closed at the comfort of his shoulder. Hermione listened to the steady beat of his heart as he massaged her back in lazy circles.  
  
"That feels so good."  
  
"Put your hand on my thigh."  
  
Hermione was a little startled with his request, but appeased. Slowly she ran her hand up and down the inside of his thigh.  
  
Draco brought his mouth down to her ear.  
  
"You might not want to do that."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Rubbing my thigh...Gods, it's hard enough as it is."  
  
Hermione nodded and her hand stopped its upward and downward motion on his thigh. She did however rub his leg gently with her thumb.  
  
Hermione's eyes fluttered closed and she slept peacefully for about two hours when she was abruptly awoken.  
  
"Draco, what's going on?"  
  
"It's just some turbulence. Don't worry about it."  
  
"If it was big enough to wake me up, it's something to worry about. I'm a heavy sleeper."  
  
"Yeah, I know. You're drooling all over my shirt."  
  
Draco laughed at little at his own comment and Hermione hit him on the stomach.  
  
"Ouch! That could be considered sexual harassment you know."  
  
"Yeah, well, you were making fun of me!"  
  
"You know I mean it with the greatest affection."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Now, go back to sleep. I'll just change my shirt when we get to the room."  
  
"Draco!"  
  
"Relax, I'm just kidding."  
  
Hermione smiled, nodded, and then put her head back on his shoulder. Draco wrapped both arms around her to make her feel better and Hermione slipped off to sleep again.  
  
What seemed like moments to her was actually hours and she was woken up by Draco.  
  
"We're here."  
  
"Already?" Hermione said groggily.  
  
"Yes. You were sleeping the whole time. Look at my shirt. It's proof!"  
  
Hermione punched him lightly in the stomach.  
  
"I told you about that."  
  
"You deserved it."  
  
"Jeez, I hope you don't do this in bed."  
  
"Excuse me?" Hermione punched him a little harder this time.  
  
"You know what I said."  
  
Hermione eyed him suspiciously and he led her off the plane. They first went to get their baggage and they found it easily. Draco then led Hermione over to rent a car. They waited in line for a total of about 20 minutes and they rented a Mercedes Benz. Draco carried their bags out to the rental car and shrunk them once they were in.  
  
"There, now we don't have to worry about them" he said, placing them in his pocket.  
  
"You're a smart one."  
  
"I know...one of the many things about me."  
  
"Well, I still have yet to find out what the rest are."  
  
"In due time, my angel."  
  
Hermione smiled and they got into the car.  
  
"Where are we off to first?"  
  
"You know your way around here...you decide."  
  
"Hmmm...."  
  
"How about we go back to the room first? I want to see it."  
  
"That's where we'll go then."  
  
"Draco?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Can I drive now?"  
  
Draco looked at her and gave in unwillingly.  
  
"Fine."  
  
He handed her the keys and Hermione moved to get out of the car and walked around but Draco stopped her.  
  
"Why don't you just slide over me?"  
  
"Because I have a dress on."  
  
"All the more fun for me."  
  
Draco laughed childishly and Hermione agreed. Draco slid over next to her and she lifted herself up over his lap. He guided her over him with his hands on her behind.  
  
"That wasn't so bad was it?"  
  
"No, not really."  
  
Hermione knew why he had requested she did that and she enjoyed it as much as he had but was unwilling to admit it.  
  
"Just tell me where to go."  
  
"No, I'm just going to let you get us lost."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Good?"  
  
"Hey, if I have to get lost with someone, if it wasn't you I'd cry."  
  
"Let's go then."  
  
Hermione pulled the car out and Draco just let her drive anywhere she felt like. When they got to a relatively empty road, Hermione surprised Draco quite a bit. Hermione accelerated extremely fast and Draco was pushed back into his seat. Hermione turned the music up blasting and started singing.  
  
"Whoa!"  
  
"What, am I too wild for you?"  
  
"I can't answer that until later."  
  
"Who says there's going to be a later?"  
  
"I do."  
  
Draco winked at Hermione and yelled.  
  
"Didn't know you could be so wild!"  
  
"There are a lot of things you don't know about me either."  
  
"I can't wait to find out. How about we go to the room now?"  
  
"Sounds good to me."  
  
Hermione pulled the speeding car to the side of the road and brought it to a stop. Draco slid next to her and he guided her across his lap once again.  
  
Draco was a much more conservative driver however and he kept it under the speed limit.  
  
"Draco, where's your fun?"  
  
"In bed."  
  
Hermione nudged him and he drove them to their room. Draco led her up to it and resized their bags back to normal once they were on the bed.  
  
When they opened the grandeur sized mahogany doors, an exquisite room revealed itself. The bed was furnished with mahogany wood like the doors and the quilt on it was bright red in color. There was a wine cooler sitting on the table and a bottle of wine sat in the ice. Every square inch of every table in the room was filled with vases of roses and the view of the room was set right over the ocean.  
  
"This is all the times I thought about you yesterday."  
  
"And I thought all the romantic men in this world were gone."  
  
"Well, I'm still here. I haven't even begun."  
  
Hermione walked over to the small patio outside the room and stepped outside. Draco followed her there and his hands snaked around her petite waist. The view presented her with the fresh scent of the ocean and the surrounding palm trees swayed in the light wind of the afternoon.  
  
"God, it's so beautiful. Can we go to the beach?"  
  
"Sure...only if you wear a bikini."  
  
"I think I can do that. I love the beach."  
  
Hermione and Draco both turned to change and Hermione went into the bathroom. She stripped herself of the sun dress she had been wearing and slid the bottoms of the bikini over her narrow hips. She then tied the bikini top around her and topped the look off with a mesh wrap around her waist.  
  
When Hermione emerged from the bathroom, she found Draco standing in his trunks on the patio where the wind blew through his silky hair. His muscles defined the skin that covered them and flexed as he stood there.  
  
Hermione slid her flip flops back on and snuck up behind him. Slowly, she reached to poke him.  
  
"Ready?" he said just before she was about to touch him.  
  
"Oh, you're good. You weren't supposed to know I was there!"  
  
"I know I'm good."  
  
Draco poked her just below her last rib and she squealed.  
  
"I'm ticklish there."  
  
"I know...I'll remember that."  
  
Draco put one arm around her back and one beneath her knees and picked her up.  
  
"Draco, put me down! I can walk myself."  
  
"I know that you're perfectly capable of it, but I want to."  
  
Hermione stopped arguing knowing that she wasn't going to get anywhere with him. Draco carried her down to the beach and lay her down on the soft sand. The beach was a private one so there was going to be no disturbances.  
  
"Draco, can I have the tanning lotion out of my bag?"  
  
"Only if you let me do the honors."  
  
"Can't I do anything myself?"  
  
"No when it comes to this."  
  
"Fine."  
  
Draco reached into her bag and retrieved the tanning lotion she had requested. He then knelt down beside her and slowly began untying her bikini top as she lay face down on her towel.  
  
Hermione was a little surprised at his actions, but allowed him nonetheless. Draco poured a small amount of lotion on his hands and gently massaged it into her skin. He went back as many times as he could for lotion. He loved the feel of his hands rubbing against her skin.  
  
"Gods that feels so good."  
  
"I know. I can do a lot better."  
  
"I can only imagine."  
  
"You don't have to imagine."  
  
Hermione remained silent and Draco lay next to her as she drifted off to sleep. He watched the steady rising and sinking of her back as she breathed in the fresh ocean air. About ten minutes later, Draco stood up and walked toward the shore line. He waded in slowly and stopped when he was chest deep.  
  
Hermione woke up half an hour later and looked around to find Draco. She found him in the water and sat up. Before she made her way to him, she tied the bikini top and then walked toward the shoreline herself.  
  
She waded in slowly and when she reached Draco, she snaked her hands over his shoulders and around his chest from behind.  
  
"You're awake."  
  
"No, I'm sleep-walking" she said sarcastically.  
  
Draco turned around and smiled at her. He then splashed water in her face.  
  
"What was that for?!"  
  
Hermione jumped onto Draco and wrestled him in the water. She tried to dunk him under water but her attempts were failures.  
  
As they were playing around in the water, the sun began its descent over the horizon. While they were playing, Draco unintentionally touched Hermione's breast and a small moan escaped her mouth as he did so.  
  
"I know Hermione....but I want it to be perfect."  
  
Hermione and Draco stopped playing.  
  
"Look at the sunset."  
  
"It's beautiful."  
  
Draco turned Hermione to face him and pulled her close to him. The beads of water that were settled on Draco's skin gently rolled off and his hair stuck to his forehead. Hermione allowed herself to be pulled into the moment and she threw her arms around his neck.  
  
"Hermione, I've been waiting all day....I can't wait any longer."  
  
"I didn't intend to make you."  
  
Draco pulled her as close to his as he could get her and pressed his lips roughly against hers. Slowly, he wedged his tongue between her soft lips and he massaged her tongue with his. Hermione slid her hands down over his chest and a small moan escaped his mouth. Hermione then slid her hand up to his hair and let her fingers comb through the silk.  
  
"Hermione...let's go back to the room."  
  
Hermione nodded and Draco wasted no time in carrying her up to the room. They could get their towels in the morning. When they got there, Draco put Hermione down and she started to walk toward the bed but he stopped her.  
  
"First, we go in here" he said while pointing towards the bathroom.  
  
Hermione let him lead her into the bathroom and he turned on the taps. He opened the door to the shower stall and allowed her in first. He then followed. Draco reached around her and untied her bikini top. It fell to the floor as he gently rubbed her body with the soap bar. Then he tugged at her bikini bottoms and let them slide to the floor as well.  
  
"Will you return the favor?"  
  
Hermione nodded and took the soap from his extended hand. Her hands slid over his toned chest and he stopped her.  
  
"That's fair game for me too you know."  
  
"I know."  
  
She continued washing the salt water from his skin and then slowly untied his trunks. Hermione hooked her fingers into them and slid them down his muscular legs. Draco smiled and turned the taps off behind him.  
  
The two stepped out of the shower stall and Hermione reached for a towel.  
  
"No...That's my job."  
  
Hermione gave him a disapproving look but allowed him to anyway. He toweled every square inch of her body off as gently as he could.  
  
"Go wait for me."  
  
Hermione nodded and Draco toweled himself off quickly. He then walked out to the bedroom, where she lay under the sheets.  
  
He smiled at her as he slid in next to her and then he positioned himself on top of her.  
  
"Gods...I've been waiting forever for this."  
  
Draco lowered his head to her chest.  
  
"Draco, look at me."  
  
Draco did as he was told.  
  
"When you were describing those feelings to me while we where dancing, I felt every single one of them. When Ron and I started dating, I knew there was something there. I had no idea there was more than what I had with Ron until I met you. Draco, I love you."  
  
"Gods, I love you too. You have no idea how hard it's been for me to restrain myself. Just kissing you in the lake makes me hard. See what you do to me?" Draco placed her hand over the left side of his chest. His heart was beating three times as fast it normally did. "And here" Draco said as he led her hand down to his crotch.  
  
Draco leaned down to kiss her and pressed his lips against hers gently at first, but then pressed harder, pouring all of his emotion into her and all his passion. She let him slide his tongue in her mouth and he massaged hers with his.  
  
Draco left a trail of kisses down her jaw line and neck until he reached her breast. When he did, he started sucking at it and massaging it with his tongue. Hermione let out a long low moan.  
  
As Draco continued, Hermione's thoughts jumped again. She wouldn't feel right doing this with Draco until she did something else.  
  
"Draco, I can't do this right now."  
  
Draco snapped his attention to her face.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I'm sorry. I don't feel right doing this until I've taken care of something else." 


	8. Breakin

"And what's that?"  
  
Hermione slid out from underneath him and encased herself in her bath robe. It was blue in color and came to the middle of her thigh. Hermione remained silent.  
  
"Damn it Hermione! Answer me!"  
  
"Draco, just understand. Please just understand....or try."  
  
Draco sat on the bed with a perplexed expression playing across his face. Hermione left the room with a slight hesitation. Draco remained silent and still.  
  
Hermione went into her bag of things and pulled her engagement ring out and a piece of parchment. She needed to write two letters that night.  
  
Hermione dipped the quill in ink and began writing. It read:  
  
Dearest Ron,  
  
There's no other way to really say this to you, so I'm just going to come right out and say it. I don't love you anymore. There is someone who I trust more than you and that I love more than you. Please understand that this is just the way things are going to be. Here is your ring back.  
  
Always,  
Hermione  
  
Hermione carefully rolled it up and enclosed the ring in the package as well. Hermione then took out another piece of parchment and dipped her quill in ink. She began:  
  
Dear Ginny,  
  
You know that you are my all time best friend in the entire world but I need to tell you that I'm not marrying Ron anymore. I do hope you're not mad with me. I can't have that double wedding with you either for obvious reasons.  
  
Love always,  
Hermione  
  
Hermione rolled that piece of parchment up carefully as well and emerged from the room she was in.  
  
"Will you tell me now Hermione?" asked Draco slightly irritated.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I needed to do this first."  
  
Hermione walked over to the window and found her new owl, Hooter, outside the window.  
  
"Come here Hooter!"  
  
"Hooter?" asked Draco.  
  
"Yeah, he's my new owl after Crookshanks passed on."  
  
Hooter flew lightly to the window and Hermione tied each of the rolls of parchment to both of her legs.  
  
"One is to go to Ron, and one is to go to Ginny. Off you go."  
  
The owl hooted in compliance and flew off into the dark horizon.  
  
"I needed to send Ron his ring back. I didn't feel right doing what I was doing knowing that I still had it."  
  
"Really? Does that mean what I think it means?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Come here."  
  
Hermione crawled into the bed with Draco and he wrapped his masculine arm around her petite waist.  
  
"Can we just call it a night?"  
  
"If that's what you want."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"Alright...as long as you stay here with me."  
  
"I wouldn't dream of going anywhere else."  
  
"Good."  
  
Hermione's eyelids dropped closed and Draco placed his head next to Hermione's. He inhaled the sweet scent of her hair and sighed of exhaustion. Soon after Hermione, he fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.  
  
The next morning, the early sun shone in through the large window and beat down on the two adjacent bodies. Hermione was soon awakened by the warm sun and moved slightly which woke Draco up.  
  
Draco's eyes remained shut as he spoke.  
  
"You up?"  
  
"Yes" said Hermione groggily.  
  
Draco pecked her on the cheek and she rolled over to face him. He pulled her close to him and she buried her face in his chest.  
  
"You might want to go look in the mirror."  
  
"Why?" asked Hermione innocently.  
  
"Just go look."  
  
Hermione pulled herself out of bed and rubbed her eyes when she reached the mirror.  
  
"I know I know" said Hermione as she walked back into the room.  
  
"You look like Medusa!"  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
Hermione ran over to the bed and jumped on top of him.  
  
"Well, it's true!"  
  
Hermione smacked him on the shoulder.  
  
"What did I tell you about that? It could be considered sexual harassment."  
  
"Well, that's too bad. You wouldn't report me for it anyway."  
  
"Yeah? You think so?"  
  
"I know so."  
  
"You're right. I love you too much."  
  
"That's what I thought. I love you too."  
  
Hermione smiled at him and crawled on top of him. He tried to push her off but she pinned him down on the bed.  
  
"Don't think you're going anywhere."  
  
"Oh! Frisky!"  
  
"You have no clue!"  
  
Hermione kissed him roughly on the lips and ran her fingers through his silky blonde hair. Her tongue massaged his roughly and then she pulled away from him and hopped off the bed like nothing had happened.  
  
Draco whimpered and Hermione looked back at him.  
  
"That's not fair."  
  
"True or false. All is fair in love and war?"  
  
"True."  
  
"Great answer. You're just going to have to wait until later then."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"You just agreed with me. You'll get what you want later."  
  
Draco pouted and Hermione pulled him out of bed. He got dressed while Hermione freshened herself up in the bathroom. Hermione combed through her silky hair and pulled on a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. She then slipped on her sandals and emerged from the bathroom.  
  
Draco sat on the bed waiting for her. He had put on a tight white tank top and a pair of khaki shorts.  
  
"Hey. All ready to go?"  
  
"You bet."  
  
Draco stood up and put his arm distinctively around her waist. He slid his hand in the back pocket of her jeans on the far side. Hermione did the same and the two walked out on to the quiet streets of Hawaii.  
  
As they stepped over the threshold of Draco's resort onto the lightly populated streets of Hawaii, the wind blew through Hermione's hair.  
  
"God, you look so good."  
  
"I just threw this on this morning."  
  
"Even so....you look incredible."  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you too."  
  
Draco pecked her on the lips and nuzzled his nose along her cheek. The passing people watched the romantic sparks of the couple.  
  
"Where are we off to first?"  
  
"Well, how about...."  
  
"How about we take my speed boat out for the day?"  
  
"You have a speed boat??"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"You make it sound like it's no big deal."  
  
"Well, it is...but who would I be if I had a place in Hawaii and no boat?"  
  
"That's true."  
  
"I'm glad you see my point."  
  
"Can I drive it?"  
  
"Well...alright, after I get it out of the docks though."  
  
"Yay!"  
  
Draco smiled intently at Hermione and kissed her lightly on the lips. The two walked silently together down the streets in silence. The silence was not an awkward one however, just both were happy to have the company of the other.  
  
When they arrived at the docks, the two walked down one of the dock rows and stopped in front on a good sized boat.  
  
"Is this it?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"It's gorgeous. It's my prized possession."  
  
Hermione gave him a surprising look and Draco replied quickly.  
  
"Second to you of course..."  
  
"I'm sure that's exactly what you meant" Hermione said sarcastically.  
  
"You know what I meant. Don't put words in my mouth."  
  
Hermione smiled at him and pecked him on the lips.  
  
"Listen to me carefully."  
  
Hermione nodded and listened to his instructions.  
  
"Help me take this cover off and then I want you to get in and place the bumpers on the side of the boat."  
  
Hermione and he started to uncover the boat and Hermione hopped in, putting the bumpers on as she went.  
  
"Now, I'm going to unwrap these ropes, but the boat won't go anywhere, so relax ok?"  
  
"Got it."  
  
Draco unraveled the ropes and hopped into the boat from the side. He put the keys in the ignition and began to back out of the dock. With clever maneuvering, Draco piloted them out of the docks.  
  
As they pulled out into the vast ocean, Draco motioned her to come sit on his lap. The wind blew through her long brown hair and it whipped in his face. It wasn't bothersome to him at all. He was just happy that she could be with him.  
  
Draco drove them around in circles just enjoying the beautiful day and they drove by a small cave Draco remembered from the first time he came here. It had always been a special place to him....but a forgotten memory until now....now that he had someone special to share it with...  
  
"Draco? Can I drive now?"  
  
"Sure" said Draco.  
  
Hermione gripped the steering wheel tightly. Her knuckles became white from the pressure.  
  
"Relax Hermione."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Loosen your grip. Look at your knuckles....they're turning white."  
  
Hermione glanced briefly down at her hands and sure enough they were just as he had described them.  
  
"I just don't want to crash this Muggle thing...I've never driven one before."  
  
"Don't worry about that...I'm right here...besides which, you're more important to me that it ever will be. Relax."  
  
Hermione nodded and released her grip a little from the steering wheel. Draco slid his arms around her waist from behind her and nuzzled his nose against her cheek. Hermione giggled as he started to kiss her neck. Draco's hands started to roam Hermione's torso and his fingers slid up her shirt.  
  
"God Hermione, I want you so bad."  
  
"Torturing you is so much fun....how about we go back though because it's getting late?"  
  
Draco nodded and relieved her from her duty of steering the oversized boat. Hermione remained on his lap, his arms around her.  
  
Draco carefully maneuvered the boat back into the docks and the two tied it down and covered it.  
  
"Where are we off to now?" asked Draco as he slid his hand back around her waist.  
  
"Well...how about we go back to the room and relax on the couch for a little bit?"  
  
"Sounds good to me."  
  
Draco and Hermione started back towards the room and Hermione suggested, "Want to rent a movie?"  
  
"Sure...movies are good."  
  
The two walked into the video rental store and Draco paid to rent "Sweet November." Then they began the trek back to the room.  
  
Hermione popped the video into the VCR while Draco took a seat at the end of the couch. Hermione then walked toward the couch and lay down, her head resting on Draco's lap. Draco placed his hand over her waist and massaged her stomach with his thumb gently. Hermione lay on her left side and she ran her hand up and down Draco's right shin.  
  
As the plot rolled itself out over a period of about two hours and came to an end with Sarah's death, Draco grew impatient.  
  
Draco lowered his face to Hermione's and kissed her roughly.  
  
"Hermione?"  
  
"Yeah...let's go..."she said as if she read his mind.  
  
Hermione lifted her head off his lap so that he could slide out from under her. He then slid his hands underneath her and lifted her up as her arm went around his neck. Draco carried her over to the bed and laid her down gently. Draco crawled on top of her and lowered himself onto her. His face was a mere three inches from hers.  
  
"I love you."  
  
Before Hermione even got a chance to respond to him, Draco kissed her roughly. He parted her lips just as gently as he always did with his tongue. Hermione threw her arms around his neck.  
  
Hermione;s hands then slid down his chest and back up underneath his shirt. Her fingers glided over his delicate skin, defined by each muscle he possessed. They stopped kissing only to rid each other of their shirts. Draco slid his hands under her back, unlatched her bra carefully, and discarded it on the floor.  
  
Hermione's hands then slid down to the waistline of his shorts. She undid the button holding them together and moved toward the zipper. Hermione grasped it and began to undo it, excruciatingly slow, notch by notch. Draco moaned with impatience and tried to speed up the process but she resisted him.  
  
Draco undid her shorts as quickly as he had rid her of her shirt. He slid them off her narrow hips and tugged at her panties as well to pull them off. Hermione pulled Draco's boxers off faster than she had his shorts. Draco stopped kissing her.  
  
"You are so beautiful."  
  
"Draco then lowered his head down to her breast and began to suck at it, probe at it with his tongue. Hermione let out a long low moan. She slid her fingers through his silky hair as he delivered the same delightful torture to the other breast. Draco then let out a moan as he thrust himself into her and they began moving as one, rocking their hips together. Hermione screamed his name and then decided she wanted to take complete control of the situation. She attempted to flip them over to go faster, but he pinned her back against the bed.  
  
"C'mon Draco!"  
  
"No," he said through panted breaths.  
  
Draco continued to rock his hips into hers at the same slow pace as he had previously. Both moaned and screamed each other's names with pleasure as he reached his climax. Draco then collapsed on top of her and both gasped for air. Hermione brushed the wet hair out of Draco's eyes and he rolled off next to her.  
  
Draco pulled her over next to him and their bodies, saturated with perspiration, lay adjacent to one another. The back of Hermione's head rested on his chest and his arm went around her waist.  
  
"I love you Draco Malfoy."  
  
"I love you too."  
  
Hermione's eyes fluttered shut from exhaustion and she slipped off to sleep. When Draco was sure she was asleep, he slid out of bed and put his boxers and shorts on. He then slid out of the door quietly. He would only be gone for about an hour or so.  
  
Hermione slept peacefully for a few short minutes before coldness settled around her salt covered body. The lack of Draco's presence let the cold encase her and she was awakened by the creak of the door. Hermione's eyes snapped open.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
No answer.  
  
"Draco?" she said with slightly more panic while sitting bolt upright.  
  
Still no answer.  
  
Hermione clutched the sheet tight against her and drew it up to her chest. Hermione's eyes darted blindly around the pitch black room. Her only senses of sound and smell told her that someone was approaching that was not Draco.  
  
"Reveal yourself at once!"  
  
She still received no answer from the silent intruder. The next sequence of events occurred rapidly.  
  
The intruder flipped on the bed-side light and it revealed a man masked completely in black all except for his eyes. His left hand held a bag filled with various items from the room and his right supported a very small handgun.  
  
"Don't move unless I say and no one will get hurt."  
  
Hermione did as she was told, holding her temptation to nod in agreement. The man kept his gun at the ready as he rummaged through more drawers in the room. When the masked man finished sorting and obtaining everything he wished, he walked toward Hermione. She was still seated with the sheet covering her. There was one last thing he wished to attain.  
  
"Get up and unlock this trunk," he said with his gun in his hand. Hermione sat dumbfounded, staring blankly. Draco returned to the room and opened the door quietly, thinking that Hermione was still asleep.  
  
The man slapped Hermione and she still sat motionless. A red handprint appeared upon her once pale face. Nothing angered Draco more than harm or danger to Hermione. He walked cautiously up behind the masked man and tapped him in the shoulder.  
  
"I think I have something else that might interest you."  
  
Draco drew back his arm and put all his body weight behind the punch he threw at the man's face.  
  
"Don't you ever touch her again or you'll get worse next time. Get up!"  
  
The man lay motionless on the floor.  
  
"I said get up!" roared Draco Draco's eyes were full of fierce fury and rage as he hoisted the man up off the floor and tide him up with shoelaces. The man's head lolled to one side as he sat there unconscious.  
  
"Hermione, are you alright?"  
  
She didn't respond out verbally out of pure shock but rather just nodded her head. Draco walked swiftly over to the phone and called the police.  
  
Draco then walked toward the bed and pulled Hermione over into his embrace. His eyes were transfixed on the masked intruder until the police arrived, fury pulsing throughout his body. When they did arrive, they handcuffed the man and took him out to the police car, whose lights revolved repetitively, red, white, and blue. The detective approached the two witnesses. The detective opened his mouth to start questioning Hermione, but Draco cut him off.  
  
"Please sir. We've been through enough tonight. Would you be so kind as to leave and lock the door on your way out? We'll drop by the station tomorrow. I promise you."  
  
"We really-"  
  
"Sir, I believe I am making a reasonable request."  
  
"Very well...make sure you do...or we'll come looking for you."  
  
Draco nodded as they departed, locking the door on their way out. He returned to the shocked Hermione on the bed.  
  
"You sure you're aright?"  
  
"God, I was so scared! Don't ever scare me like that again!" Hermione sobbed into his chest. Tears rolled down her cheek and felt cold as the dripped onto his bare chest.  
  
"Shhhhh....it's alright....shhhhh..."  
  
Draco kept her in his embrace and rocked her back and forth, the bed creaking beneath them. Draco first kissed her on the head and then lifted her chin to his lips.  
  
"Everything's going to be fine...I'm right here."  
  
"Where did you go?" she asked through sobs.  
  
"It's a surprise...you're going to have to wait until the day after tomorrow."  
  
"I was so worried you had left me for someone else after you got what you wanted."  
  
"Hermione, I would never do such a thing...I love you and only you."  
  
Hermione looked up into his now-calm eyes, the fury and rage erased, and saw glints of sincerity and love in them. Hermione then leaned back against his chest and the two sat a rocked back anf forth together in silence for what seemed like hours. Draco massage her cheek where she had been slapped with his thumb. It had turned bright red from impact.  
  
"Let's call it a night."  
  
"I can't sleep."  
  
"You'll fall off to sleep."  
  
Hermione nodded and the two lay adjacent in the bed. Hermione lay close to him, still and silent in Draco's arms. An hour later, her eyes fluttered shut and sleep overcame consciousness. He drifted off to sleep not long afterwards. 


	9. Questions To Be Answered

The next morning, Draco awoke first. His eyes opened slowly to the chirping birds outside the glass-paned window. He looked at Hermione who still lay asleep. His eyes were transfixed on the angelic figure lying peacefully next to him. Last night had been extremely exhausting for her, not to mention slightly shocking. It made him wonder in awe how she managed to sleep to so soundly. He massaged her stomach slowly with his thumb for a few minutes.  
  
"Mmmmm...Draco, that feels good."  
  
"How are you doing this morning?"  
  
"Alright I suppose. I'm just glad nothing serious happened."  
  
"Yeah, well, I wouldn't have let it happen. I'd die if something happened to you."  
  
Hermione rolled over and smiled at Draco. His eyes were full of sincerity and passion. They glistened in the sunlight.  
  
"Draco...I love you."  
  
"I love you too Hermione."  
  
Draco brushed his lips against hers lightly at first but soon deepened the kiss. Passion unfolded itself into each movement of his lips and his tongue found its way between her lips. Hermione threw her arms around his neck and he pulled himself onto her. His lips kept hers occupied while his hands massaged her breast.  
  
"God that feels so good" she said between kisses. She let a low moan escape her throat.  
  
Draco continued to kiss her until she pushed him away.  
  
"As much as I'd like to continue this...we really ought to get up."  
  
"Damn you" he said jokingly.  
  
"Hey, I'm enjoying this as much as you are...but we have to go to the police station today and we really ought to get going."  
  
Draco sighed with resentful agreement and allowed her to get up. Hermione slid her bath robe on and went into the bathroom. Draco went outside and listened to the lullaby of the vast ocean, the waves pounding against the protruding rocks. The wind blew gently threw his hair and the nearby palm trees swung lazily in the wind.  
  
Hermione slid on a pair of denim shorts, size 8 and a tight peach tank-top. It was vertically ribbed, complimenting her curves to a degree. She piled her hair on her head and wrapped a pony holder around it, letting each billowing curl cascade around her head.  
  
Hermione emerged from the bathroom and found Draco on the small patio overlooking the ocean. He had changed while she had been in the bathroom. He wore a light blue t-shirt with black cargo shorts. Hermione approached him and he drew her into his embrace. Hermione's hands snaked around his waist and her faced remained buried in his chest for the next few minutes.  
  
"Hermione, can I meet your parents?"  
  
"W-w-what?"  
  
"Can I meet your parents?"  
  
"Um...sure."  
  
"You don't sound too excited to have them meet me."  
  
"To be honest...you already have, a long time ago."  
  
"I have?"  
  
"Well...let's sit down first." Hermione locked her fingers with his and led him inside. They took a seat on the couch. "Well...you've always known that I'm Muggle-born, right?"  
  
"Yes...but what does that have to do-"  
  
"Let me finish...and you know how Voldemort hated Muggles..."  
  
"Yes, but-"  
  
"Well... he for some reason saw me as a threat...I was never sure why. Maybe because I was always venturing off with Harry Potter and he knew that he was a threat to his existence, but anyway, he did. The year after I graduated, he knew there was no one to protect me or my family anymore, in terms of wizards or witches, so, he and five of his Death Eaters came into our house one night and tortured my parents to death with the Crutacius Curse. I only narrowly escaped due to my discreet use of magic. I camouflaged myself so as not to be seen."  
  
"Oh my God! I had...no idea."  
  
"Draco, I remember that night so well. It haunts me in my dreams some nights. I remember seeing the look on my parent's faces as they lay there writhing in pain, twitching wildly. I remember looking into my mother's eyes that night and promising myself that one day I would avenge my parents for what he did. That image has been impressed upon the very contours of my brain ever since. I remember seeing the green flashing light of the Avanda Kadevra spell as it hit my father and he fell crumpled to the floor. The last thing I remember that night was looking into Voldemort's cold eyes. I could see the pleasure he got out of watching my parents die, the evil smirk that marched across his face. I heard him laugh maliciously with pleasure as my mother screamed. I remember blaming the whole thing on myself too. If I had never insisted upon attending Hogwarts, they would have never been killed. I've never forgiven myself for that." Draco saw tears roll down her cheeks and he wiped them gently away with his thumb. Draco pulled her close to him and her face was buried in his chest. His hand massaged the back of her head soothingly.  
  
"You can't blame yourself for something like that Hermione. It wasn't your fault. They would have wanted you to be happy and safe and...and healthy. They wanted you to do what would have made you happy and going to Hogwarts did, am I right?"  
  
"Yes" came a muffled answer.  
  
"Alright then...you can't blame yourself for something like that. That still doesn't explain how I met them though...I think I would have remembered."  
  
Hermione sat up again and took a deep breath to calm herself. Her diaphragm was contracting spastically from crying and her breaths became short, abrupt, and rapid.  
  
"Well, I also considered the ordeal a blessing as well." Draco shot a perplexed look at her. "After they were gone, Voldemort and his goons I mean, I cried for hours continually. I lay my head on my mother's chest hoping that her heart might leap back into its normal state, but it never did. The next day, I got a visit from a very special man...Dumbledore. I remember looking into his pure blue eyes and I remember him embracing me, comforting me. Ever since then, he has called me his own. Every couple of weeks or so I go to visit him. He's quite old now, but he still remains as one of the most powerful wizards in history. Voldemort, said to be defeated, still survived and still fears Dumbledore's very being."  
  
"That's...wow. I had no idea. I'm sorry for bringing the topic up...if I had known it was going to upset you...."  
  
"No, Draco, thank you. I needed to get that out. I've never told anyone that but Dumbledore. All I care about right now, all the family I have right now...is Dumbledore...and you."  
  
Hermione looked into his awe-stricken eyes and smiled. She had now calmed down and the tears ceased to roll down her cheek.  
  
"Come here Hermione."  
  
Draco drew her into his embrace once again and the two remained motionless and silent. After a few short minutes Draco began to speak.  
  
"Would an ice cream make you feel any better before we have to go to the station?"  
  
"Can I get anything I want?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Let's go." A smile danced across her face.  
  
"I love it when you smile."  
  
"I love you."  
  
Draco's eyes clouded over, deep in thought. Anxiety was building and pulsing through his veins.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
"Mmm...sorry. Let's go."  
  
"You ok?"  
  
"Yeah...yeah, fine."  
  
Draco's arm draped around Hermione's waist and the two walked silently toward the ice cream parlor. When they arrived there, Draco opened the door for Hermione and the bells clanged together as it shut behind them.  
  
The two sat down at the bar and waited only a few minutes before their waitress came over. She had a mindless expression on her faces and her eyes appeared blank. Hermione took no notice of it until she began to speak.  
  
"What can I get you?" she said, emotionless and robotic-like.  
  
Hermione looked slightly surprised but ordered a banana spilt for the two of them to share. As the waitress receded to the kitchens, Hermione spoke to Draco. She glanced quickly around the room and then into his eyes.  
  
"Draco...what's going on?"  
  
"I was going to ask you the same thing. It's strange."  
  
"I know. I'm very suspicious now." An expression of confusion planted itself on her face.  
  
A few minutes later, the waitress arrived back with their order.  
  
"Here you go. Enjoy" she said in the same robotic tone.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
The two ate in silence. When they were done, they paid and tipped the waitress, then stepped out of the threshold. As they stepped onto the streets of Honolulu, passers by displayed the same expressionless face as everyone in the ice cream parlor.  
  
"Draco...there's something not right here."  
  
"I know honey...I know."  
  
"I'm a little bit scared right about now."  
  
"Take a look at that."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Those hooded figures over there" he said as he pointed to them.  
  
"What are they doing?"  
  
"I don't know. Let's go to the police station now..."  
  
He trailed off and pulled Hermione with him, glancing over his shoulder briefly every few minutes or so. As the approached the station, he held the door ajar and both went in. The police officers displayed the blank looks as everyone else in Honolulu did. They knocked softly on the detective's door.  
  
"Come in" said the robotic voice.  
  
The two entered the office and closed the door behind them as they took a seat directly across the desk.  
  
"So, what exactly happened?"  
  
"Well..." she said hesitantly. "I was sleeping and Draco, here, went out to get something and I heard someone come in....I knew it wasn't Draco and the next thing I knew, he flipped the light on and rummaged around the room, keeping his gun at hand. He slapped me when I wouldn't unlock the trunk for him and that's when Draco came in and knocked him unconscious."  
  
"I see. Why wasn't your door locked?"  
  
"We figured it wasn't necessary. Just because its locked thought doesn't mean he couldn't have gotten in another way. If he had really wanted to and the door was locked, he would have found another way."  
  
"Yeah, that's a possibility as well. Well, there's going to be a small trial held. I suggest you call a lawyer and be prepared to present your case in two weeks."  
  
"We're not going to be here in two weeks" said Draco.  
  
"Well, you're going to have to be."  
  
Draco shot the detective a menacing glance and tightened his jaw.  
  
"That will be all. Have a...nice day."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Draco's jaw was still clenched as they left the office building.  
  
"Draco, this is getting too weird."  
  
"I know it is. We're going to leave tomorrow."  
  
"Already?"  
  
"Yes, I don't like what's going on. I will not allow something to happen to you."  
  
"But-"  
  
"We're not staying after tonight."  
  
Hermione nodded and Draco drew her into a hug.  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"Four o'clock."  
  
"Let's go back to our room and start packing and then I want to take you to a special place tonight before we leave."  
  
Hermione him suspiciously but nodded and the two proceeded to walk towards the room they had been occupying.  
  
When they arrived, Draco allowed Hermione in first and followed her in.  
  
"We can use our wands in here...there's no one around to see it."  
  
"I agree."  
  
"Wingardium Leviosa!" said both of them. Each of their belongings flew from the place they sat at rest to the suitcases. The clothes were one great heap in the cases, cluttered and wrinkled. Both kept one clean outfit out for their trip home and lay them on the bed. As Hermione closed her suitcase, she felt Draco approach her from behind.  
  
His hands slid along the curves of her body and closed themselves around her waist. Draco began kissing her neck and Hermione giggled at the feel. She then whipped herself around and pushed him against the wall.  
  
Her lips moved roughly against his and they're bodies fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. Draco pushed her away for a moment.  
  
"Grrrr...I like you like this."  
  
"You're the first one to see this side of me."  
  
"Don't I feel special?" he said sarcastically.  
  
"You should."  
  
Draco then turned her against the wall and kissed her roughly. A small moan escaped Hermione's throat as he parted her lips with his tongue. Passion consumed both bodies and pulsed through both of their veins.  
  
Draco then began to let his hands roam her body. He began to pull her shirt off slowly, his hands gliding effortlessly over her fair skin. They stopped kissing each other only momentarily to rid each other of their shirts. Draco slid his hands behind her back to unlatch her bra, doing so excruciatingly slowly. When it was unlatched, he discarded it on the floor. His hands then began to massage her breast. What delicious torment! A low moan escaped Hermione's mouth again.  
  
"I know Hermione."  
  
Draco reached down to begin to unbutton her shorts but she stopped him. He shot her a look of disbelief but it faded as she reached for his pants. She pulled him back toward her and pressed her lips against his hard and her tongue explored his mouth wildly. She began unbuttoning his pants and then moved to undo the zipper. As they fell to the floor, she pulled his boxers down, they too falling to the floor. Her fingers traced the outline of each abdominal muscle and slid down over his smooth, now saturated skin. She began to finger Draco and long low moan erupted from his mouth.  
  
"You're such a tease." he said through pants of breath.  
  
"Oh, but it's so much fun" she replied. She kissed him again and he began to undo her pants. He pulled them and her panties down over her narrow hips and Hermione was sandwiched between the wall and Draco. She brought one leg up and put it just above his hip and he brought the other one to his other hip. He thrust into her and she screamed his name. Their hips rocked together as one, both panting for air. Draco screamed Hermione's name as he came to his climax and both collapsed on the floor. Draco lay on Hermione, both gasping for air.  
  
"Draco, lets go to the bed."  
  
Draco nodded, picked her up gently and laid her down on the bed. Her crawled on top of her and kissed her neck gently.  
  
"Can we have another go at that?"  
  
"As much as I'd love to, I have something else I want to show you before we leave" he said lifting his head to look into her eyes.  
  
"Oh God, but it felt so good!"  
  
"I know, but this is more important. We can do this any time. This is really special."  
  
Hermione looked into his grey eyes, full with emotion, and nodded.  
  
"Alright...let's get dressed" she said reluctantly.  
  
The two got up and put their clothes back on. Hermione took a little longer than Draco, but when both were ready to go, Draco led her to the docks.  
  
"Why are we going here?"  
  
"You'll see."  
  
Draco maneuvered the boat out of the docks and headed out from them toward the endless sea. The boat jumped off the waves as they rolled in towards the shore and the sun began its descent over the horizon.  
  
"Ah....perfect timing."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You'll see."  
  
Draco slowed the boat down and dropped the anchor near some rocks.  
  
"Come here and close you're eyes."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It's a surprise."  
  
She closed her eyes and he lifted her up in his arms. She put her arm around her neck in reaction.  
  
"I'm not going to drop you."  
  
"I know, I just wasn't expecting you to pick me up."  
  
He stepped off the boat and walked over the rocks into a small cove overlooking the ocean.  
  
"Okay, you can open now."  
  
Hermione opened her eyes and gasped in awe.  
  
"It's so beautiful!"  
  
"There's more."  
  
Draco put Hermione down and she absorbed her surroundings. He walked about ten feet and picked something up. Hermione's eyes were drawn to the beautiful symphonic sunset. The sky was stripped orange and pink and the sun shone a beautiful gold reflecting off the water.  
  
Draco came back and stepped in front of her.  
  
"Look at me."  
  
Hermione looked into his deep grey eyes and listened to each word emitted from his mouth.  
  
"Hermione, before I met you, my life had no meaning, no purpose at all. It became one monotonous joke and I needed something to spice it up. Then I met you. I remembered back at Hogwarts how I was so cruel to you and I regret every word I ever said to hurt you." A tear emerged from Hermione's eye as she continued to listen. "I have met the girl of my dreams and nothing means more to me than you. I want you to be a part of my life always, until the day I die and even after. If I don't tell you how I feel right now, I know I am going to regret it for the rest of my life. Hermione, I love you." Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out an oyster shell. He got down on one knee and opened it to her. Inside was beautiful diamond ring, set in white-gold. "Will you marry me?" 


	10. Evil Lurks In the Shadows

Disclaimer: These characters are J. K. Rowling's! Also, the song "This is the Night" was recently performed by Clay Aiken on American Idol 2 and was put on his single album.  
  
~~  
  
Hermione's eyes filled with joy and her face lit up like the sun. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Her tongue had become paralyzed and filled with lead as Draco spoke. Hermione grabbed Draco by the collar and pulled him up her. He threw his arms around her waist and hers went around his neck. Hermione pressed her lips roughly against his and her tongue, back to its normal state, darted in and out of his mouth, massaging his. Draco still grasped the ring tightly in his hand as he pulled away from her.  
  
"Y-yes!"  
  
A wide smile danced across his face as he pulled her back in for another kiss. He then pulled the ring out of the oyster shell and slid it onto her petite ring finger.  
  
"God I love you so much."  
  
"I love you too. I've waited for this day."  
  
"You have no idea...this is where I came the other night. I needed to do some thinking and preparing."  
  
"Is this place special, or have any significance?"  
  
"Oh yes...." Draco took a seat and Hermione sat in front of him between his legs. His arms wound themselves warmly around her waist and her head rested on his chest. He brought his mouth down to her ear and talked gently into it.  
  
"I used to come here a lot just after I graduated from Hogwarts...at that point in my life, I had a lot of options and I needed somewhere isolated to sort through things. I remember being out on my boat one night and seeing one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen...I became absorbed with how God painted the sky...and it brought me peace of mind. When my father and mother died, I came here and just sat for hours...lying on my back, looking up into the ocean of endless stars. The other night, I sat here, and I began naming each star with a reason that I love you and I seemed to run out of stars."  
  
Draco nuzzled his nose up against her hair, the sweet aroma drifting up his nose. His lips then moved toward her neck and he planted several along the side of it. Hermione giggled but enjoyed the attention. She massaged both of Draco's legs with her hands, running them up and down his legs. She could feel her love for him pulse throughout her body.  
  
"How did your parents die?"  
  
"Well, my father was a Death Eater as you know and they sent him to Azkaban. I went to visit him once. He looked like shit, his clothes torn, his face unshaven, and his hair a cluttered, tangled mess. I remember seeing him sitting in the corner, his eyes darting wildly around the room, as if something was going to get him. All his sanity had been driven out of him; he had spent way too many a year in that place. That very day, he was kissed by a dementor and I was there to witness it. My mother was killed by Voldemort himself after he demanded that she help my father escape and she refused. After he heard the news of my father, he went on a mass killing spree of Muggles."  
  
"Oh my God, I didn't know."  
  
"That's alright. He never was there for me anyhow. I have you now."  
  
"Always..."  
  
Draco began kissing her neck once again. As his mouth left her skin, she could feel the breeze blow over the imprint of saliva on her skin. Hermione looked down at the glistening ring that was on her finger and admired it for a few minutes.  
  
"There's more Hermione."  
  
"What else could there possibly be?"  
  
"What's an evening like this without champagne?"  
  
"You're right!"  
  
Draco got up and pulled Hermione up with him. They walked a short distance and found a blanket spread out on the damp ground. On it sat two candles, a wine chiller holding a bottle of champagne, two champagne glasses and assorted fruit.  
  
The two sat down next to each other on the blanket and Draco made a motion to reach for the wine bottle, but he was stopped by Hermione's lips. They captured his breath and passion unrolled itself from them. Hermione pushed him back slightly and he fell back to the floor, Hermione on top of him. Hermione and Draco lay there kissing for quite some time, Hermione running her hands through his silky blonde hair. Draco stopped kissing her and the two sat back up.  
  
Draco reached for the champagne bottle and popped the cork. The bubbling substance poured out of the bottle into each tall, sleek champagne glass. Draco placed the bottle back in the chiller and handed Hermione a glass.  
  
"Cheers..."  
  
"To us! For all out happiness and years to come!" she finished for him.  
  
Draco nodded and a smile danced across his face. He reached out to make cheers with Hermione and intertwined his arm with hers. They wound their arms and took a sip of wine from their glasses. Draco then put his down and picked up a chocolate covered strawberry. He held it over his other hand so as not to make a mess and brought it to Hermione's mouth. She bit it delicately and returned the favor to him.  
  
"One more thing..."  
  
"Draco..."  
  
"It's nothing big."  
  
Draco got up and turned on the radio that had been located behind a rock.  
  
"May I have this dance?"  
  
Draco extended his hand to Hermione and she took it. He pulled her up from the ground and drew her into his embrace. Hermione rested her head on his right shoulder and her arms rested on his shoulders as well. Draco's head hung near her head and his arms entrapped her. Hermione closed her eyes and let the music and Draco take her away. The two swayed gently to the beat of the music.  
  
~~  
  
When the world wasn't upside down, I could take all the time I had  
  
But I'm not going to wait when a moment can vanish so fast  
  
'Cuz every kiss is a kiss you can never get back  
  
Lift me up in your eyes  
  
If you told me that is what Heaven is, well, you'd be right  
  
I've been waiting forever for this  
  
This is the night  
  
When the answer to all my dreams is as close as a touch away  
  
Why am I here holding back what I'm trying to say?  
  
Lift me up in your eyes  
  
If you told me that is what Heaven is, well, you'd be right  
  
Hold me close to your heart  
  
I would go with you to the ends of the Earth and we'll fly  
  
I've been waiting forever for this  
  
This is the night  
  
This is the night where we capture forever and our tomorrows begin  
  
After tonight, we will never be lonely again  
  
Lift me up in your eyes  
  
If you told me that is what Heaven is, well, you'd be right  
  
Hold me close to your heart  
  
I would go with you to the ends of the Earth and we'll fly  
  
I've been waiting forever for this  
  
This is the night  
  
~~  
  
"This really is the night" said Hermione.  
  
"I love you Hermione."  
  
"I love you too."  
  
From their right, they heard a light squawk and Draco whipped his head around to see what it was. Dumbledore's phoenix sat perched upon one of the rocks. Fawkes squawked again to signal them that he had something. Draco released Hermione and pulled her over to Fawkes with him. Hermione untied it and read it out loud.  
  
Hermione and Draco,  
  
I'm aware of your location and you need to get out of there as quickly as possible. Don't even worry about your belongings, they can be replaced, you cannot however. Be aware at all times and keep your guard up.  
  
Sincerely,  
Dumbledore  
  
"Your attempts are futile!" came a voice from behind them. Draco and Hermione whipped around, Draco keeping one hand on his wand and one around Hermione.  
  
"Well look who it is...if it isn't Draco, the pretty boy prat from our Hogwarts days."  
  
"Ronald Weasley! Don't you dare call him that!"  
  
"Is Hermione sticking up for the prick? This is surprising."  
  
Hermione opened her mouth to speak but Draco whispered, "No Hermione, be quiet." He drew her closer to him.  
  
"Is golden boy protecting my ex-fiancée?"  
  
"I will protect her with my life..." said Draco through gritted teeth.  
  
"Is that so? It's so..so beautiful..." said Ron, pretending to wipe away a fake tear. He laughed maliciously.  
  
"Put a cork in it Ron!"  
  
"Oh, she's back talking me!" Ron stormed over and grabbed hold of her face. "It's not a good idea."  
  
"Let go of her!" said Draco as he threw Ron's arms away. Ron sneered.  
  
"He really does love you, doesn't he?"  
  
"Yes, and I love him."  
  
"Well, isn't that convenient? First you claim to love me and all of a sudden you run into pretty boy here and he steals your heart from me?"  
  
"My heart was never yours Ron."  
  
"I don't believe that is true. Did you not tell me that you loved me?"  
  
"I did, but after I bumped into Draco, it made me realize how I really felt."  
  
"And how's that?"  
  
"That I love him and there is nothing...NOTHING Ron that you can do about it."  
  
"Oh yeah?"  
  
"I won't allow you to touch her!" retorted Draco.  
  
"Well, well, I guess I'll just have to kill the both of you, now wont I?"  
  
"The pleasure's all mine Ron" said Hermione.  
  
"Shhhh" said Draco.  
  
"And how's that?" asked Ron.  
  
"Easy, you kill us both, we're both still together."  
  
"You make a valid point Mudblood! No...no, I shall not kill you both, but which one?"  
  
"You will take me or else! And God help you if you ever speak that way about her again!"  
  
"Then I guess I will take her then, shall I?"  
  
"Don not make me hurt you Ron!"  
  
"Oh my, he used my first name, what happened to Weasel?"  
  
Draco said nothing.  
  
"Prat is speechless!"  
  
"Just what ever turned you so evil Ron?" asked Hermione furiously.  
  
"It's quite simple you see....you betrayed me."  
  
"There's more than that Ron."  
  
"You are a smart girl, aren't you? It's one of the things I loved about you."  
  
"Spill it Ron!"  
  
"You're cute when you're angry, did anyone ever tell you that?"  
  
"Shut it Weasel!"  
  
"Back to Weasel again? You just cant make up your mind can you?"  
  
Draco remained silent once more. His jaw was clenched tight and his eyes were full of fierce rage and anger.  
  
"You're right Hermione. You were always right. That owl you got that was supposed to be for me...the potions...its all part of my plan."  
  
"What plan?"  
  
"The plan I've come up with after I got your note. It was quite clever on my part; I do have to admit..."  
  
"I'll kick your ass to the curb Ron if you don't start talking!"  
  
"Just what a Mudblood would say!"  
  
Hermione showed no hurt at that comment. Inside, it tore her up, but her eyes remained emotionless, blank, and stoic.  
  
"I told you not to call her that again!"  
  
"I'll do whatever I please! Just take a look at this!"  
  
Ron rolled up his sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark engraved in his arm.  
  
"Ron, I never would have thought...." said Hermione.  
  
"Well, people change...after I got your owl, I realized there was only one job for me and I knew just who to go to. I sent an owl to our Dark Lord...it was a pity your father was sent to Azkaban Malfoy..."  
  
"Yeah, well he deserved it..."  
  
"Quite on the contrary, Malfoy, Voldemort valued your father, he was respected greatly among us Death Eaters. Anyway, I sent an owl to the Dark Lord and he answered me back. I was initiated to be a Death Eater and put through the Crutacius Curse to test my strength. It's a pity you didn't follow your father Malfoy....its also a pity that my little Pidwigeon is dead, but, no matter...I remember what he did to your parents Hermione and I wanted revenge on you just as much as you want to avenge your parents....I told him I would work side by side with him to finish you off because of some 'unfinished business' I had to deal with..."  
  
"The only thing I have to thank you for is having that fight with me. It was the best thing that ever happened to me" yelled Hermione.  
  
"Tonight will live in infamy in my mind Hermione. I want to watch the distressed look on your face when you're in so much pain you can't even move."  
  
"You even try and you're dead Weasel!"  
  
"Watch me! Crutio!"  
  
Hermione bent over in half in pain, twitching wildly and writhing until she fell to the ground. The pain was the worst thing she had ever felt in her life, but she shed not a tear. She would not give Ron the satisfaction. She heard Draco yell a jinx at Ron and the pain ceased, but she could not move an inch. She heard a crash as Ron was sent backward and fell to the ground. He jumped back up like a spring and laughed.  
  
"You think you can save her now?!"  
  
"I'll fight to the end Weasel!"  
  
"She cannot even move! What makes you think she will live after tonight?"  
  
"I think she will" said a pure voice from behind Ron. Draco managed a small smile of gratitude.  
  
~~  
  
Sorry this one is so short! I wanted to be mean and have a cliff hanger! lol. I think there's only going to be one or two more chapters though. Please review! 


	11. Love Is Stronger Than Power

Disclaimer: These characters were created by the one and only J. K. Rowling.  
  
Ron spun around on his heel to see who the strange voice belonged to. It had sounded vaguely familiar and his conclusion was confirmed as he came face to face with none other than Dumbledore.  
  
"There will be no killing this evening Ronald Weasley!" he said with that familiar sound of authority yet still calmness resided. He shot a very reassuring glance at Draco with his soft blue eyes and motioned for him to attend to Hermione. Draco shook his head "no" minutely but Dumbledore reassured him with an unnoticeable "yes."  
  
Draco moved slowly and quietly and bent down on his knees to Hermione. The only thing that Hermione could move was her eyes and her mouth. She was lying face down on the ground and Draco carefully rolled her over onto her back. A silent tear rolled down Draco's face as an expression of excruciating pain rested on Hermione face.  
  
"Draco, it hurts so much! I can't even move..." she whispered.  
  
"I hate seeing you in pain....I wish this was me."  
  
"No Draco. I'll fight just to be back with you."  
  
"I love you Hermione."  
  
Draco slid his arms under her gently so as not to inflict any further pain on her. Her head lolled over his arm; she couldn't even tense the muscles in her neck to keep her head upright. He carried her to an area behind a rock to protect her and positioned her head so she could see what was going on.  
  
"I'll be back for you...I promise."  
  
"I'll be waiting..."  
  
Draco smiled weakly and kissed her on the forehead. She felt a tear drip on her forehead from him.  
  
"Draco, don't cry...I'm not going any where."  
  
"I'm so sorry Hermione. Things weren't supposed to be like this tonight...it was supposed to be perfect."  
  
"Draco, it doesn't matter. I love you and we will be together forever after tonight. I will not leave you..." she whispered weakly.  
  
Draco kissed her gently on the lips and pulled his wand back out, keeping it at the ready. He stepped right next to Dumbledore as he interrogated Ron. Dumbledore remained calm with no tone of anger residing in his voice whatsoever.  
  
"Ron, what has happened to you?"  
  
"Hermione, that's what happened to me."  
  
"You used to be such a kind and polite young boy back at Hogwarts."  
  
"Well, times change old man."  
  
"Yes, I suppose they do." Dumbledore was not a man of resentment for insults.  
  
"That damn Mudblood bitch!"  
  
"I told you not to call her that!" yelled Draco as his wand rose. Draco was about to jinx Ron to hell but Dumbledore grasped his wand and pulled it back down by his side.  
  
"I will kill her if it's the last thing I do."  
  
"You're going to have to go through the both of us to get to her!" yelled Draco.  
  
"Yeah, well, that won't be a problem. You'll have plenty to occupy yourselves with..."  
  
"You and what army?"  
  
"Me and this army!"  
  
Ron flicked his wand and behind him appeared Voldemort and five of his fellow Death Eaters.  
  
"C'mon, is that all you got?" yelled Draco threateningly.  
  
"It seems that your ego is bigger than your talent Malfoy."  
  
"No, I will fight for Hermione to my death."  
  
"It is her I want, you stupid prick! I suppose torturing you to insanity might do some good, but I will not allow you two to be together."  
  
"You have a purely twisted mind!"  
  
"I see I have done well in teaching you!" came a cold voice from behind Ron.  
  
"Yes master." he said over his shoulder.  
  
"Ron, I've said this to Hermione several times, I never meant to torment you three...it was an order, I had no choice."  
  
"Yeah? And who might have given you that order?"  
  
"My father..." he said, trailing off.  
  
"Your father is a legacy among my Death Eaters" said Voldemort.  
  
"He's a legacy because he killed Mug-"  
  
Dumbledore quickly shut him up. Draco's temper was not one of his better suits.  
  
"You're father was highly respected, even by myself. He was always one of loyalty to me and he never once let me down, until the day Draco Malfoy..."  
  
"Until what day?"  
  
"Until the day that he told me that you, of all people, would not be following in his footsteps and that you would not be joining me."  
  
"It was the best thing I've ever done in my life too."  
  
"That is pathetic."  
  
Rage pulsed throughout Draco's veins but was not distinctly visible.  
  
"Pathetic it may be, but I couldn't be happier."  
  
"I'm sure Hermione could be a lot happier..." said Ron.  
  
"Never..." Hermione said weakly.  
  
"You could have been my queen!"  
  
"Never...."  
  
"You're queen, Ron?"  
  
"Yes, my queen. I suppose she would have been very happy as well."  
  
"What makes you think you're any king?"  
  
"The Dark Lord has appointed me his heir. After you withdrew from joining our group, who will one day destroy all who stand in our way, he found me much like your father."  
  
Dumbledore began to speak quietly and calmly.  
  
"Tom Riddle! Why are you so evil?"  
  
"There is no good and evil. There is only power and those too weak to seek it."  
  
"There is good in our world, Tom. It is there in ways that are not comprehensible to any living being. It is one of the great mysteries that we face today."  
  
"I think you're going to make me cry..." said Ron as he wiped a fake tear from his face.  
  
"Enough of this bickering!" yelled Voldemort. "Let's get on with the torture. Where is Hermione?"  
  
"I will never let you get her."  
  
"I think it's a little too late for that, my dear boy." He laughed maliciously as he stood, towering over her. He had disappeared and appeared at her side. His long, pale, wrinkly fingers gripped his wand as he pointed it toward Hermione, lying lifeless on the ground. Her eyes showed no emotion, no fear at all.  
  
"Let the duels begin!" said a familiar voice from behind after a *POP* had been heard. Draco spun to identify the voice and Remus Lupin and Mad-Eye Moody stood with their wands in their hands. They began shooting jinxes at the Death Eaters when Draco heard a conversation behind him.  
  
"Now it's your turn, you filthy Mudblood. I'm going to have great fun in bringing about your death just as I did to your parents. I did love that evening and what a joy it will be to have the entire thing reoccur. Cru-"  
  
Draco spun quickly on his heel and shouted "Imperio!"  
  
Voldemort was sent flying back towards the rocks. He hit them with a loud crash and slid slowly down them. The back of his cloak was stained with greenish blood that had emerged from his injured head.  
  
"Epellarimus!"  
  
Voldemort's wand was sent flying towards Draco and he caught it midair. Voldemort lie unconscious and unarmed. Draco took the opportunity to snap the wand over his knee and tossed it out to sea.  
  
"Don't you move..." came a voice from behind him. He could feel the tip of a wand resting on the side of his neck.  
  
Draco elbowed him in the nose.  
  
"Ha, you see, Muggle methods come in handy!"  
  
Draco turned to helped Lupin, Moody, and Dumbledore duel with the Death Eaters. It wasn't long before only two of them stood. As Draco shot a jinx at one of the remaining hooded figures, he saw Voldemort begin to stir out of the corner of his eye. Dumbledore had already been on the task however.  
  
Dumbledore stood patiently awaiting Voldemort's awakening. Voldemort moved his head slightly to one side and suddenly his cold eyes snapped wide open. A smirk marched across his face as he Disapparated from the spot where he was sitting to behind Dumbledore.  
  
"It seems my wand is missing, but, that is no matter."  
  
Voldemort snapped his fingers and the two remaining Death Eaters appeared at his side. The throwing of jinxes had ceased and Lupin and Moody stood adjacent to Dumbledore and Draco. The two swept themselves in front of Voldemort and held their wands readily.  
  
Voldemort disappeared and the jinxing once again began. only this time Dumbledore went at Voldemort as he appeared at Hermione's side again.  
  
"Albus, please, this is my fight."  
  
"I respect that; I'll be your back up."  
  
"No, I want to do this on my own. Please..."  
  
"Very well, but be careful."  
  
"Draco, I will kill her and there is nothing you can do to stop it" said Voldemort.  
  
"She doesn't deserve to die. What do you have against Muggles? Why are you so cold hearted?"  
  
"Because, that's all I was ever taught. It's how I grew up. I find pleasure in seeing others in pain, especially Muggles. They took over our world and it was not their place."  
  
"They do us no harm; they are as nice as almost any wizard I've ever known."  
  
"Look what's happened! Because of them, we've had to create our own world and conceal it! It matters not. Even without my wand I am more powerful than you could ever wish to be."  
  
"I wish not to be powerful, but happy."  
  
"You are pathetic! Crutio!" He shot his hand outward, his palm facing Draco and the spell hit him hard. He lay there, twitching in pain, writing until he crumpled to the ground. Voldemort levitated Draco above the ground, his body still twitching wildly. Voldemort laughed viciously and evilly, but Draco shed not a tear.  
  
After a few minutes of this pleasurable torture, Voldemort released Draco of the jinx and Draco lay motionless for a moment. Then slowly, Draco struggled to stand up, his muscles shaking from pain, but he still showed no tenderness. He grabbed his wand that had dropped to the ground and stood upright.  
  
"You would have done well with me."  
  
"I'd rather die than join you and your goons!"  
  
"I have one goal and one goal only...to finish what I started. I need to get you out of the way however. Crutio!"  
  
Again Draco bent over in pain, his body doubled over. He showed nothing to Voldemort and after a few minutes, Voldemort released him. He fell to the ground but did not move this time.  
  
"Finally, after all of these years Granger...say good bye to your lover boy. Avanda-"  
  
Voldemort's jinx was cut short by another jinx thrown at him. Draco could not move but he heard a series of jinxes being thrown between Dumbledore and Voldemort. With one last jinx, all noise ceased.  
  
Draco opened his eyes and smoke lingered in the surrounding air. It was dense and no noise could be heard except the beating of his own heart. His eyes darted blindly around and a figure appeared to be approaching him. When it got close enough, he identified it as Professor Dumbledore.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"I think so" he said weakly. Draco pulled himself up off the ground with a great deal of effort and then staggered sideways.  
  
"Sit down."  
  
Draco nodded and sat himself down near where Hermione lay.  
  
"Hermione?"  
  
"Mmmm?"  
  
"How are you doing?"  
  
"Not too well."  
  
"We're going to get you two to St. Mungo's in London."  
  
With that, Dumbledore tapped a nearby rock with his wand and produced a Portal Key. Lupin and Moody walked steadily over to Dumbledore and the five of them grabbed hold of the Portal Key. 


	12. I Do

Disclaimer: I don not own any of these characters!  
  
Draco felt the ground disappear beneath his feet and a rush of air combed through his hair. Moments later, he hit the ground hard and toppled over. Hermione lay motionless on the floor next to him, but her eyes darted around the room, still very alert.  
  
They only laid there for a few brief minutes before a rush of nurses piled into the room. One flicked her wand and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"  
  
Draco was lifted immediately off of the floor and was levitated to the nearest stretcher. The nurse let him down gently and another nurse did the same for Hermione. His eyes were transfixed on the motionless body of his fiancée. Her eyes locked with his and she reassured him that everything was going to be okay.  
  
Draco watched the nurses tend to Hermione, checking her vital stats like her heart beat, blood pressure, and brain activity. He listened to the steady beat of her heart on the nearby monitor. The nurses were doing the same to him, but he did not notice until they said his name.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
"What...yes?"  
  
"You seem to be alright. You just need some rest. Your friend here will be fine too."  
  
"Fiancée" Draco stated.  
  
"Fiancée? Congratulations!"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"She's a lucky girl" the nurse said.  
  
"I don't know what I would do without her. Please keep a close eye on her."  
  
"Will do...it's my job" said the nurse, winking at Draco. "Both you and her will be just fine."  
  
"Thank you, nurse."  
  
"Your welcome, Draco. Get some rest, both of you."  
  
Draco nodded weakly and Hermione lay still. Her eyes fluttered shut as the nurse turned off the light and the room went completely dark. All that could be heard was the sound of her breathing and he was glad that that's all that could be heard. It gave him self assurance that it was all going to turn out okay. At last Draco's eyes closed as well, and his mind wandered off into dreamland.  
  
**  
  
Hermione was lying in her bed in the safety of her own apartment. Her chest rose and sunk as she breathed in and out steadily. Her brunette hair was sprawled out on top of her pillow, her delicate curls cascading down the pillow.  
  
All of a sudden there was a *POP* but no one was visible. There was the eerie feeling that someone was lurking in the shadows. Draco walked down the hallway of her apartment but found no one there. He then walked back down the dark corridor and opened the bedroom door.  
  
Draco could feel a pair of beady eyes watching him, but still could not identify what it was.  
  
"Hello? Is anyone there?"  
  
The silence continued.  
  
"Show yourself!"  
  
There was no answer. Draco glanced over his shoulder down the corridor again and heard a vaguely familiar laugh in the bedroom. As he turned his head, he saw a hooded figure standing over Hermione. Its wand was in its right hand and was pointed directly at her.  
  
"No!"  
  
"Avanda Kedavra!"  
  
Draco watched the scene in front of his eyes. The room flashed a bright green and he heard a blood curdling scream come from Hermione's mouth. The room went silent and then he heard the malicious laugh of Voldemort.  
  
"Finally! I have finished what I started!"  
  
Draco heard another *POP* and he was gone.  
  
**  
  
Draco's eyes snapped open and his head turned to Hermione. His skin was covered in perspiration and he rubbed his eyes viciously to make sure he was awake. Hermione lay peacefully in the bed next to him. He strained to hear her breathing and he relaxed when he did. He looked and her chest was rising and sinking with each breath she took in.  
  
Draco sighed of relief when he saw so and his closed his eyes once again. After a few brief moments, exhaustion and relief overtook him and he fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
The next morning, Draco awoke to the nurse bustling around in the room. Hermione had not yet awoken and Albus sat on the side of her stretcher, holding her hand.  
  
"How is she doing?" asked Draco.  
  
"Oh, you're awake!"  
  
"Yes, how is she?"  
  
"She's fine. She should be waking up soon."  
  
"Thank you." Draco smiled warmly at her and she returned it to him.  
  
"She really is a lucky girl to have someone care about her so much."  
  
"She is the love of my life. She's beautiful, isn't she?"  
  
"Yes she is. I hope it all turns out wonderfully for you two."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Would you like to get up and walk a bit?"  
  
"Yes, that would be nice."  
  
Draco hauled himself out of bed and she supported him as he took a couple steps.  
  
"I think I can manage this myself. Thank you anyway though."  
  
"Well, alright."  
  
Draco began walking on his own and walked over to Hermione's bed. He took hold of her other hand and placed a kiss on her forehead. Hermione's eyes fluttered open to his touch.  
  
"Draco..."  
  
"How you doing?"  
  
"I feel like I've had a horrible nightmare, like some one has beaten me with a bat."  
  
"You're a tough cookie, you know that?"  
  
"Hey, you're walking already. I probably won't until tomorrow."  
  
"I'm just glad to see that you're up."  
  
"How are you doing Albus?"  
  
"I'm fine" he said calmly.  
  
"There is one thing I don't understand."  
  
"What would that be?"  
  
"How on Earth are you so calm in situations like you were last night?"  
  
"I can't explain. I just am. We'll leave it to that. I don't take things personally and that allows me to remain calm."  
  
"Anger isn't one of my better suits, is it?"  
  
"You shall learn."  
  
"What happened last night?"  
  
"It matters not, my boy. It only matters that you are both safe. I couldn't go and let my son-in-law to be, be killed, now could I?"  
  
"You know?"  
  
"Yes, and I am very happy for the both of you."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Well, I have matters that I must attend to. I shall be off."  
  
"Thank you for everything."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
With a *POP*, Albus disappeared and Hermione and Draco were left in the room alone.  
  
"I'm so sorry Hermione. None of this was supposed to happen."  
  
"Draco, it doesn't even matter."  
  
"Yes it does. I hate seeing you like this. We should be ready to go this afternoon."  
  
"You look as good as you always do, even in the night gown."  
  
Draco's cheeks turned a light shade of pink.  
  
"You get some more rest."  
  
Hermione nodded and Draco took a seat near the bed. He still held her hand and he massaged it with his own hands. He too fell asleep, his head resting on the bed.  
  
A couple hours later, they both awoke and the nurse told them that they could go. They got dressed and thanked the nurses for everything. Draco helped Hermione up out of the stretcher and supported her with her arm around his neck.  
  
Hermione stopped him and kissed him passionately on the lips.  
  
"Let's go home."  
  
"Mine or yours?"  
  
"Yours" she replied.  
  
They arrived at Draco's home a couple hours later and Hermione was now walking on her own. They stepped over the threshold and went into Draco's bedroom.  
  
"Draco, when are we going to get married?"  
  
"Well, why don't we do it tomorrow?"  
  
"So soon?"  
  
"Yes. I don't want a big wedding. I want to be me, you, and Albus. I don't care about anything more."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Hey, what's your view on kids?"  
  
"Do you mean...?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Come here."  
  
Hermione pulled Draco closer to him and kissed him roughly on the lips. Draco pulled away from her. A smile was planted on his handsome face and he put his lips to hers again.  
  
Draco left a trail of kisses down her torso until he could reach her shoes. He slid them off and let them fall to the floor. He then slid his own off. Draco pulled her shirt off and discarded it on the floor.  
  
"Wait, before we get too far, I have to go to the bathroom."  
  
"No, you're staying here."  
  
Draco captured her lips in his once again and his tongue dove into her mouth. He massaged her tongue with his and began to unhook her bra. He kissed her jaw line and down her neck until he reached her breasts. He went to the left one first, sucking at it, probing at it. Hermione groaned with pleasure as he began to deliver the same scrumptious torment to the other one.  
  
"Draco, please..."  
  
"No..."  
  
Hermione pushed him away from her.  
  
"I'll just be a second."  
  
Draco looked disappointed but allowed her to go. She arrived back moments later.  
  
"That wasn't so bad was it?"  
  
"Yes...it was..."  
  
Hermione crawled on top of him and kissed him roughly. She traced the muscles on his chest with her fingers after ridding him of his shirt. Her hands then moved down to the fly of his pants and undid them slowly. She pulled them off along with his boxers and threw them on the floor.  
  
Draco began to undo her pants and pulled them off her slender hips. He threw them to the floor and flipped her over onto her back. She winced with pain as he thrust into her but moaned as he rocked his hips into hers. Draco began screaming Hermione's name and Hermione Draco's. Draco rocked into her slowly and he let out a long moan as he came to his climax. Draco collapsed onto Hermione and Hermione said through panted breaths, "I love you."  
  
"I love you too."  
  
Hermione ran her hands through his dripping wet hair and kissed him on the forehead.  
  
"I'm tired Draco."  
  
"Go to sleep."  
  
Draco rolled off of her and then pulled her close to his side. Her eyes fluttered closed and he fell asleep shortly after.  
  
~~  
  
The next morning, Hermione awoke first and shook Draco to wake him up.  
  
"I don't want to wait anymore. Let's go."  
  
Draco kissed Hermione and both got out of bed and got dressed. Hermione glanced at the clock which read 10:30 am and pulled Draco out of the door. They quickly drove to a nearby church and begged the priest to wed them. He agreed to do a brief one for them for a small fee. They paid and he began.  
  
"We have come together on this day in the presence of God to make the sacrament of Holy Matrimony..."  
  
"Make this quick. Skip ahead to the 'I do's'"  
  
"Very well. What is your name?"  
  
"Draco Malfoy."  
  
"Draco Malfoy, do you take, what's your name?"  
  
"Hermione Granger."  
  
"Do you take Hermione Granger to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, through sickness and in health, through rich and poor, as long as you both shall live?"  
  
"I do."  
  
Draco slipped a wedding band on Hermione's ring finger and the priest proceeded.  
  
"And do you Hermione Granger, take Draco Malfoy to be our lawfully wedded husband, to have a and to hold from this day forward, through sickness and in health, through rich and poor, as long as you both shall live?"  
  
"I do."  
  
Hermione slipped a wedding band on Draco's ring finger and allowed the priest to advance with the wedding.  
  
"I now pronounce you as man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."  
  
Draco smiled at Hermione and pulled her close to him for a deep kiss. They then thanked the priest and walked out of the church, hand in hand.  
  
***  
  
Author's Note: I hope you all liked it and I would appreciate if you would please review. I'm planning on having two more chapters I believe. I'll keep all you updated. 


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